The Parliament of Montenegro passed the Bill on Ratifying the Paris Agreement, by which our country confirms the obligation of a joint fight against the negative impact of climate change with other signatory countries.
All 41 MPs supported the Paris Agreement.
“By confirming the Paris Agreement, Montenegro is strengthening its path to joining the European Union (EU) and confirming the commitment to a joint fight against the negative impact of climate change with other signatory countries,” said the minister of sustainable development and tourism Pavle Radulovic.
He called to mind that the agreement was signed by 197 countries.
At the same time, the question whether the implementation of the agreement will stop the project of the Thermal Power Plant Pljevlja Block II construction.
DPS MP Predrag Sekulic said that the TE Block II should and needed to be constructed.
“It seems to me that nobody can call this government’s decision into question, either from an environmental or from an energy point of view. Now we have ecological standards developed enough that the construction of the TE second block will help to solve the issue of pollution in Pljevlja,” Sekulic said at the Parliament session.
He added that the fact that there were no investments in small hydropower plants for a long time should not be ignored.
“We should not forget the hydro potential that we keep constantly talking about and we haven’t achieved an agreement on how to use it. I am talking about the Komarnica river and the potential of the Moraca river. Unfortunately, we gave up the hydro potential of the Tara river for an indefinite period,” said Sekulic.
He said that the potential of wind farms should not be forgotten as well.
Liberal Party (LP) MP Andrija Popovic believes that the law on ratification of the Paris Agreement is very important and that it will largely define the energy and ecological future of Montenegro.
According to him, the main issue is whether the adoption of this law blocks the intention to build the TE second block in Pljevlja and thus reduce electricity imports.
Popovic assessed that the law is Montenegro’s contribution to the efforts of the international community in the fight against climate change.
“By adopting this law, which LP absolutely supports, we are unlikely to be able to build the second block of Thermal Power Plant Pljevlja and this city must finally be ecologically protected. On the other hand, we use very little sources of renewable energy, although our country has high quality transmission capacities with the surrounding countries,” Popovic said.
The goals set in the Paris Agreement can be achieved by developing industrial technology, increasing the share of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency and modernising the energy sector.
