Through intensive field activities aimed at curbing unauthorized consumption, losses in May stood at 9.27%, 1.08% lower than in the same period of the previous year, and also the lowest level of losses ever recorded in Montenegro’s electricity distribution system.
Over the past 12 months, losses have declined continuously, by more than 0.5 percentage points per month, while in some months reductions of over 1 percentage point were achieved, alongside a steady monthly increase in the energy taken from the transmission network. Reducing losses has also reduced the total amount of electricity required to cover them, which CEDIS procures on the market. As a result, savings of around EUR 1.8 million were achieved for the period from January to May of the current year alone (based on the average prices CEDIS paid for electricity during that period).
– The savings amount to millions, and the results are record-breaking, so the company will continue its intensive campaign to curb unauthorized electricity consumption in all Montenegrin municipalities in the coming period. In addition, focusing on reducing losses is the only constructive response amid unprecedented turbulence in the energy market. Achieving these results requires seriousness and consistency in the field. We have developed an effective field operations system, making maximum use of the advantages of the advanced technology we have implemented, which enables us to monitor energy flows in detail and respond to irregularities promptly and consistently. – CEDIS representatives said.
The data show that losses for the first five months of the current year stood at 12.60%, 0.73% lower than in the same period of the previous year, alongside a steady increase in the energy taken from the transmission network. To provide a more accurate assessment of the results achieved, it is important to note that, in the absence of activities to curb unauthorized consumption on the network, the increase in energy taken from the transmission network would have been accompanied by stagnant or rising losses. Thanks to the activities carried out, the opposite trend was achieved: losses reached record-low levels, while from the beginning of the year through to the last day of May, 1,215,466,666 kWh was taken from the transmission network, 4 percent more than during the same period of the previous year.
“The public needs to be made aware of the broader, inherited, chaotic picture. Illegal construction, which for decades has irreversibly devastated areas in almost all Montenegrin municipalities, is also devastating the electricity distribution network, as it entails illegal connections and, consequently, network losses. Existing infrastructure is being overloaded without proper planning, increasing maintenance costs and diminishing the impact of investments. In the field, detecting illegal connections and bringing them within the framework defined by law is a laborious process that also requires the involvement of a significant number of employees. For CEDIS, particularly under the current conditions of global uncertainty in the energy market and unprecedented increases in the prices of equipment for maintaining the electricity network, all of the above represents a serious financial burden. We reiterate that tackling this deeply rooted and widespread problem requires systemic support from the prosecution and judicial authorities, as well as the police, which has so far been insufficient and inconsistent. In light of these negative aspects, we believe that the results achieved are particularly valuable,” CEDIS representatives concluded.
