Montenegro’s state-owned power utility Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) is planning to build its first floating power plant, on the Slano artificial salt lake built in the 1950s for the purposes of hydroelectric power, near Niksic, in the western part of the country.
The lake covers an area of 8.89km2, is up to 4.4km long, and 18m deep. According to the company’s executive director, Nikola Rovčanin, the deployment of the plant will not raise any legal dispute as it will be located on a water surface owned by EPCG and will not consume agricultural land.
The project will also be in line with the technical guidelines of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), to mitigate the impact of renewable energy sources on biodiversity.
Rovčanin added that some unnamed Danish companies are interested in developing the project, without providing further details.
EPGC and Finnish utility Fortum are currently building a 100 MW ground-mounted solar plant in Montenegro. The facility, located in the southernmost and sunniest part of the country, will sell power to the local grid under a long-term PPA.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the country had installed solar power of just 6 MW at the end of 2020. The vast majority of Montenegro’s electrical power demand is currently met by the 225 MW Pljevlja thermal power plant in the north of Montenegro, and two large hydropower plants, at Perućica (307 MW) and Piva (363 MW).
