General Director of Elektroprivreda Republika Srpska Luka Petrović says that there is political will and agreement from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to build seven hydroelectric power plants together with Republika Srpska and Serbia as part of the Middle and Lower Drina projects.
– The Drina, above all the lower and middle basin, is a border river. The idea was born that the Republic of Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina participate with the same percentages and that the Republic of Serbia, that is, Elektroprivreda Srbije, has the other half. There is political will and agreement to do it – said Petrović.
According to him, the agreement is for the three parties, that is, RS and FBiH on one side and Serbia on the other, to sit down and look for a solution where to register the company that would jointly build those seven power plants.
– It is up to us to see whether to first work only on the Middle Drina, where we have three power plants, and later on the Lower Drina, where we have four power plants. Project documentation, property relations, environmental permits, construction permits, network connections, and cooperation with local communities need to be resolved. It is a serious job where we will certainly stay for several years on their development – specified Petrović.
We will need five to seven years to develop the project, and after that, it can be built in a couple of years. – This is a potential that has been unused for decades and will certainly be a benefit for all local communities, for employment, a benefit for all three Elektroprivreda and I believe that this will be the future. We will initiate joint meetings as soon as possible and create protocols for the implementation of this project, which will last several years – said Petrović.
When asked whether the consent from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina for this project can trigger the construction of HPP Buk Bijela, Petrović says that Buk Bijela is not related to this project because it is located on the territory of Republika Srpska, while this project is located on the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.
– It is better to talk about the future and the newly installed megawatts, than about the problem. I think that this will somehow bring us all together and that this integration project will also be supported by European financial institutions such as the EIB and the EBRD because we will create regional cooperation – said the director of ERS.
Speaking about the announcement by the Croatian Electric Industry and the possibility of an arbitration dispute regarding the funds that the former Socialist Republic of Croatia invested in the construction of RiTE Gacko, Petrović said that arbitration is the last step in the regulation of legal problems.
