Last night, unidentified individuals stole a transformer from the Sjenokosi 10/0.04 kV pole-mounted substation in the Municipality of Nikšić. Just before midnight, there was a brief interruption to the electricity supply on part of the Duklo 2 power line, which supplies the Sjenokosi substation. This morning, customers supplied by the aforementioned substation reported to the on-call service that they had no electricity. CEDIS staff responded immediately and found the substation vandalised. The incident was reported to the Police Directorate – Nikšić Security Centre. Immediately after the investigation, work began to replace the transformer, and a regular electricity supply to customers was restored.
We emphasise that any unauthorised access to electricity infrastructure is extremely risky. For little financial gain, individuals risk their lives, disrupt the regular electricity supply and cause material damage that far exceeds any potential benefit.
CEDIS teams carry out unscheduled inspections of facilities and the network, but it is not possible to maintain constant surveillance of around 5,000 substations and more than 20,000 kilometres of overhead lines in Montenegro. The damage to CEDIS caused by such acts amounts to tens of thousands of euros. However, the greater problem is that the network is vandalised in this way and customers are left without electricity for extended periods.
