At its session on August 28, the Montenegrin Government approved the Detailed Spatial Plan for the 2×400 kilovolt (kV) transmission line corridor between Pljevlja 2 and Bajina Bašta, covering the section within Montenegro. In a joint statement, the ministries of spatial planning, urbanism, state property, and energy emphasized Montenegro’s strategic position for the development of energy corridors to Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy and Albania.
Montenegro is set to become part of the trans-European energy networks aimed at enhancing energy exchange among EU member states. The section of the Trans-Balkan Corridor passing through Montenegro includes the 400 kV transmission line Lastva – Pljevlja and the Pljevlja – Bajina Bašta transmission line. These projects are listed in the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) ten-year development plan (TYNDP), signifying their importance at the pan-European level.
The overall 400 kV regional interconnection project will be completed in two phases, connecting Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina with dual 400 kV transmission lines. The construction of the Pljevlja 2-Bajina Bašta line is planned for the first phase.
Funding for the Montenegro section of the Trans-Balkan Corridor will come from multiple sources, including the Montenegrin Electricity Transmission System’s (CGES) own financial resources, loans from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the German Development Bank (KfW), and grants from the European Commission through the Berlin Process, awarded during the 2015 Western Balkans Six Summit in Vienna. The implementation of the project is overseen by KfW.
