State-owned power utility EPBiH has opened a tender for the preparation of the main design for the Janjići hydropower plant on the Bosna River. The estimated contract value is around 800,000 euros, with the lowest bid set as the main selection criterion. Bids must be submitted by 16 October.
The project has faced ongoing legal obstacles. In April 2025, the Cantonal Court in Sarajevo annulled a decision by the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism, which had previously rejected a request to renew the environmental permit for HPP Janjići. The court determined that the Ministry had misapplied the law, violated procedural rules, and failed to uphold obligations under the Aarhus Convention. The lawsuit was initiated by the Aarhus Resource Center in BiH, and the ruling overturned the Ministry’s 2021 decision to deny the renewal of the permit for the planned 16 MW facility.
The court’s decision highlighted the Ministry’s failure to account for the project’s complexity, its delayed implementation, and the legal requirement to issue a renewed permit in such cases. It also stressed the ecological sensitivity of the Janjići area, home to protected species such as otters and the huchen fish.
As a result of these legal irregularities, the German KfW Development Bank withdrew financing worth several tens of millions of euros that had been allocated for the plant’s construction. Nevertheless, some local officials, including the mayor of Zenica, have continued to voice support for the project.
