State utility Electric Power Industry of Montenegro (EPCG) signed an agreement on Tuesday with a consortium spearheaded by China's Dongfang Electric Corporation (DEC) on the reconstruction of Montenegro's only coal power plant built in 1982.
The agreement on the ecological reconstruction of Block I of the Pljevlja thermal power plant was signed at EPCG's headquarters in the city of Niksic by EPCG Executive Director Igor Noveljic and Ji Hongchun, project director on behalf of the consortium.
The project is worth over 54 million euros (61.2 million U.S. dollars). The reconstruction, to be completed by 2023, will extend the power plant's working life by another 30 years. The facility will undergo complete technical and environmental rehabilitation, the EPCG said in a press release.
"The environmental impact of the thermal power plant will be reduced to a minimum in accordance with the strictest environmental European Union (EU) standards," Noveljic said.
He said that the project will benefit the 1,200 employees of the power plant and the nearby coal mine, and that it is of crucial importance for Montenegro's economic and social development.
Ji pledged that the consortium will provide "the best solution, the best quality and the best service."
"We believe that after four years, through the effort of our teams, a more modern and ecological power plant will stand in Pljevlja. We believe we will make the air and water cleaner, bring more job opportunities, and make people feel more comfortable living here," Ji said.
Montenegro's Minister of Economy Dragica Sekulic, who attended the signing ceremony, said that the investment will stabilize the operation of the thermal energy complex with much more satisfactory environmental parameters.
"Once again, the EPCG shows that it is a healthy and sustainable company that has a future," Sekulic said.
According to the EPCG, the ecological reconstruction includes the construction of a desulphurization system, a denitrification system, a wastewater treatment system, and the reconstruction of the internal ash and slag transport system and of the auxiliary boiler room.
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