In 2025, Montenegro’s electricity generation faced significant challenges, resulting in a notable power deficit driven by unfavorable hydrological conditions and the prolonged offline status of key thermal generation facilities. The national energy balance report indicates that total electricity production reached 3,373 GWh, while gross consumption was recorded at 3,410.71 GWh, exceeding forecasts by over 5%. This discrepancy highlights a substantial supply gap, as overall generation fell 17.42% short of planned levels throughout the year.
A critical contributor to this shortfall was the environmental upgrade of the Pljevlja thermal power plant, which was offline for an extended period of eight months. Consequently, thermal generation was restricted to 525.32 GWh, with the facility achieving only 89.34% of its revised production target. This situation underscores the impact of maintenance and upgrades on overall energy supply.
Renewable energy sources accounted for a significant portion of electricity production, contributing 1,847 GWh. However, performance varied widely among different technologies. Large hydropower plants struggled due to adverse water conditions; HPP Perućica reached only 75.21% of its planned output, while HPP Piva achieved 73.81%. In contrast, small hydropower plants exceeded expectations by delivering 106.32%, reflecting their resilience under challenging conditions.
The hydrological landscape throughout 2025 was notably below long-term averages, leading to a decline in hydroelectric output by 17.5% from 2024, and an even more pronounced drop of 34.1% from 2023, when water availability had been strong. This decline significantly influenced the overall generation mix, with hydropower accounting for approximately 60%, thermal sources at 22%, wind at 13%, and solar contributing around 4%.
The domestic electricity production was only adequate to meet consumption needs during the first quarter of the year when both hydrological conditions and thermal generation were favorable. However, between May and October, the system encountered a persistent seasonal deficit that affected reliability and supply.
The report also noted that system losses exceeded expectations, totaling 460.06 GWh, which is about 2.7% above planned levels but still represents a decrease of 2.45% compared to 2024 figures. Transmission losses were reported at 131.47 GWh, demonstrating improved performance relative to previous years, while distribution losses surged to 328.60 GWh, nearly 10% above planned levels but consistent with trends observed in 2024.
This combination of factors highlights the complexities facing Montenegro’s energy sector as it navigates infrastructure challenges and fluctuating natural resource availability while striving to meet domestic demand.
