EPCG has announced that it will not raise its portion of the electricity bill until April, when the eight-month shutdown of the Pljevlja thermal power plant begins. Whether or not there will be an increase, and to what extent, will depend on factors such as hydrological conditions, the need for imports, and market prices, the company stated during its New Year’s press conference.
During the planned downtime of the Pljevlja thermal power plant, Montenegro will face a shortfall of 700 to 750 GWh of electricity. To mitigate this, around 60% of the required electricity has already been procured in advance. The average purchase price for these imports is €103 per MWh, while they currently sell it to consumers for €45 per MWh. This creates an estimated import cost of between €70 and €80 million.
Milutin Đukanović, President of the EPCG Board of Directors, explained that during the first quarter of the year, the company will evaluate the market and hydrological conditions. Elektroprivreda will make efforts to avoid price hikes, and if necessary, will work with the Government to find a solution to protect vulnerable households from potential increases.
