According to her, the total hydropower potential of Montenegro is estimated at 11,000 GWh, 17-20% of which is being used.
At the panel “Sustainable hydropower and environmental impact of mini hydro power plants”, Ms Vojinovic said that during construction of mini HEs, so-called integrated approach to designing and planning should be taken in consideration, starting from the spatial planning system.
“In any kind of spatial planning, a strategic assessment of environmental impact should be simultaneously made, which means that the environmental component follows the entire planning system”, Vojinovic said.
She has said that the task of the State and all its institutions was to ensure the quality and quantity of all environmental segments.
According to her, hydro potential needs to be addressed from two angles – in terms of environment and development.
“Hydro potential in Montenegro is and it should be a significant electric power source”, Vojinovic said.
Executive Director of the NGO Green Home, Natasa Kovacevic, said an urgent draft of water management plan needed to be done, because the existing one had expired and there had been significant changes regarding water management and planned hydropower development in Montenegro.
According to her, the key problem, that requires an urgent solution, is the lack of water management plan and the lack of cadastre of watercourses containing environmental and energy characteristics. She said that the cadastre of small watercourses done for 13 municipalities in the north of the country and 80 watercourses should be made official.
She added that the cadastre needed to be upgraded with relevant hydrological data, including environmental information and requirements for implementation of mini HE projects.
She believes it is alarming that installed capacity of currently approved projects of mini HEs exceeds the capacity defined by the National Renewable Energy Action Plan to 2020.
“A good environment for the development of mini HEs, and energy in general, is a system which clearly defines the possible locations, the conditions for their use, the steps in the procedure, their duration and the financial frameworks of certain stages in the preparation and approval of a project”, Kovacevic concluded.
An expert on freshwater ecosystems and energy from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Adria, Petra Remeta, said that the freshwater systems and water resources in the Balkans and Montenegro were pressed by planned hydropower development.
“Negative impacts of construction represent an integral part of construction of any hydropower facility. Therefore, strategic planning of construction at the level of overall river basin rather than on just specific sites should be done”, Remeta recommended.
