Montenegro’s Environmental Protection Agency has given the developer of the proposed Velestovo solar project two years to submit a full environmental impact assessment. The agency will decide whether the project can proceed after examining its expected environmental effects.
Planned near the village of Velestovo, close to Cetinje, the project would combine a 60 MW solar installation with battery energy storage, though the battery capacity has not been specified. The development, planned across about 60 hectares, is being pursued through SE Velestovo by renewable energy company Nu Energy, with investment set at 50 million euros.
The required assessment will cover the installation and related infrastructure. SE Velestovo signed an agreement for grid connection with Montenegro’s transmission system operator CGES in August 2026. That development-stage agreement does not replace the separate environmental authorisation required for construction and eventual operation.
Nu Energy’s wider development pipeline
Environmental approval is one milestone alongside engineering and financing, while schedules depend on resolving environmental, technical and commercial requirements. The Velestovo permitting process will test how quickly Montenegro can advance larger photovoltaic projects through environmental review and grid integration.
Nu Energy aims to develop a renewable generation portfolio of approximately 500 MW. Its operating assets are the 3.3 MW Tuzi solar plant and the 3.2 MW Zupa solar plant. The company’s 65.6 MW Bogetici development is under construction, with commissioning targeted for 2028.
In 2025, Nu Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with China’s Cospowers Technology to examine opportunities for solar-linked storage in the Western Balkans. No battery capacity has been specified for Velestovo. The Environmental Protection Agency will decide whether the project should proceed after the assessment is submitted and reviewed.
