PODGORICA (Montenegro), October 7 (SeeNews) – The decision of Montenegro's government to drop plans to build a second unit of Pljevlja thermal power plant will not affect the financial performance of local coal mining company Rudnik Uglja [MNG:RUPV], its managing director has said.
“The operation of two units in Pljevlja TPP would increase the production of coal but also the costs of Rudnik Uglja,” Slavoljub Popadic said in a video file posted on the website of Montenegrin public broadcaster RTCG on Sunday.
Last month, prime minister Dusko Markovic said that state-run power utility EPCG has dropped plans for construction of a second unit of Pljevlja coal-fired power plant to comply with the government’s strategies for sustainable development and environmental protection.
EPCG launched in July a 45 million euro ($49.5 million) tender for reconstruction of Pljevlja TPP, in order to continue operating the facility in the next 20 to 30 years under the new directives for reducing harmful emissions.
“The only risk for Rudnik Uglja will emerge if the reconstruction of the power plant is not successfully completed, because we would have to halt coal production due to regulatory restrictions,” Popadic noted.
In December, Montenegro's government said it plans to complete Pljevlja's modernisation by 2021 in order to avoid closure of the plant. Pljevlja has a utility life of 20,000 hours in the period between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2023, environment minister Pavle Radulovic said back then.
($ = 0.909707 euro)