The Montenegrin Electricity Distribution System has successfully completed the first year of projects to revitalise the medium-voltage and low-voltage networks. The activities are being carried out through two parallel projects, with the first year valued at approximately €14 million. The projects focus on reconstructing the network in rural areas to provide our customers outside urban centres with a higher-quality, safer and more stable electricity supply. CEDIS plans to allocate a total of approximately €50 million for the revitalisation of the rural network.
– The network revitalisation projects are currently CEDIS’s most significant investment activities, and the work completed in the first year alone will provide an improved power supply to more than 10,000 customers in numerous villages throughout Montenegro. We replaced all deteriorated network components on priority power lines and installed new, high-quality equipment. In other words, during the first year, approximately 420 km of rural network was reconstructed, with a field configuration that posed exceptional challenges for our teams. More than 4,000 poles were replaced and more than 210 pole-mounted substations were reconstructed – said Ivan Brajović, Head of the 10 kV and 0.4 kV Network Maintenance Centre.
Ivan Brajović
During the first year, priority was given to seven 10 kV power lines (“Grahovo” in Nikšić, “Bijela” in Šavnik, “Gubavač” and “Tomaševo” in Bijelo Polje, “Dolac” in Berane, “Slap Zete” in Danilovgrad and “Krute” in Ulcinj), whose revitalisation cost approximately €12.4 million. At the same time, reconstruction works valued at €1.9 million were completed on five additional 10 kV power lines (“Vrela” in Cetinje, “Mavrijan” in Ulcinj, “Krivošije” in Kotor, “Hoti” in Tuzi and “Podgorica iz Dg” in Danilovgrad).
– The completion of the first year’s works coincided with the start of an equally ambitious second year under the framework agreement. The scope and pace of the works are best illustrated by the parallel activity at more than ten challenging locations throughout Montenegro, with no significant delays despite the circumstances of the COVID-19 crisis. The plan for the second year, which, as I noted, is currently being implemented, provides for the revitalisation of eleven 10 kV power lines, or approximately 370 km of network, on which around 4,200 poles will be replaced” – Brajović added.
The projects were structured and specific sections of the network selected primarily on the basis of a detailed analysis of outage frequency and supply reliability. Accordingly, priority during the second year was given to seven 10 kV power lines (“Velimlje” in Nikšić, “Virpazar” and “Ostros” in Bar, “Lijeva Rijeka” in Podgorica, “Biševo” in Rožaje, “Boljanići” in Pljevlja and “Gornja Morača” in Kolašin). Work is also under way on the Podgorica 10 kV “Mrke – Petrovići” power line, as well as on a section of the “Hoti” power line in Tuzi and the “Lipovik” power line in Cetinje and “Konjuhe” in Andrijevica. CEDIS has allocated approximately €12 million for the revitalisation of infrastructure covered by the second year.
We remind readers that the works are being carried out by a consortium comprising the Montenegrin companies “Mezon” d.o.o. Danilovgrad, “Electro Team” d.o.o. Budva and “Ramel” d.o.o. Nikšić, with which a framework agreement was signed in December 2018 for the Project to Revitalise the Medium-Voltage (MV) and Low-Voltage (LV) Electricity Networks.
[envira-gallery id=”10063″]
