Montenegro’s state-owned power utility, EPCG, is set to launch a tender for the supply, installation, and commissioning of a new turbine at the Perucica hydropower plant by the end of 2024. The tender process will commence after final consultations with the German KfW bank, which has provided a €40 million loan for the project. The contract is anticipated to be awarded to the top bidder by mid-2025, with the new turbine expected to be operational in the first half of 2027.
The installation of this new 58.5 MW turbine will increase the total capacity of HPP Perucica to 365.5 MW, adding an additional 50 GWh of electricity annually to Montenegro’s energy grid. This turbine will be the eighth unit at the plant, which originally opened in 1960. The modernization project began between 2002 and 2009, revitalizing four of the original turbines.
The current phase of modernization aims to upgrade the remaining three units and associated equipment. Earlier this year, EPCG secured a €30 million contract with Austrian firm Voith Hydro for this project, with the overhaul of the sixth unit expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
EPCG’s total installed generation capacity currently stands at 874 MW, with 649 MW sourced from its two major hydropower plants, Perucica and Piva, and 225 MW from the Pljevlja thermal power plant. In 2023, HPP Perucica generated 1,039 GWh of electricity, a 45% increase compared to 2022, while HPP Piva’s output rose by 67% to 933 GWh. The Pljevlja thermal power plant also saw a 5% year-on-year increase in production, reaching 1,523 GWh.
