October 18 (SeeNews) - Montenegro's government plans to terminate agreements for the construction of six small hydropower plants (HPPs), in order to avoid environmental damage, prime minister Dusko Markovic said.
The government has tasked the Ministry of Economy to negotiate an amicable termination of the contracts for the construction of hydropower plants on the Bistrica, Murinska, Djuricka, Komoracka, Bukovica and Trepacka rivers, Markovic said in a video file posted on his Twitter profile on Thursday.
The construction of small hydropower plants will undoubtedly allow for new momentum in electricity production, but would harm the environment, Markovic said.
"In some cases, this concept of development would miss its goal, which is to improve the quality of life and the development of local communities, which cannot be separated from the preservation of the unique environment," Markovic noted.
Last month, Markovic said that state-run power utility EPCG has dropped plans for the construction of a second unit of Pljevlja coal-fired power plant to comply with the government’s strategies for sustainable development and environmental protection.