Wind Farm Brajići provides over 50 thousand households with electricity

Wind Farm Brajići will annually produce 220 gigawatt hours (GWh) of clean electricity, thus providing electriciy for over 50 thousands households, it was noted on the occation of signing the Contract on the lease of state land for the construction of that wind farm.

The contract worth EUR 101.3 million was signed by Minister of Economy Dragica Sekulić and on behalf of the Consortium WPD Brajići by Zoran Obradović.

The Minister of Economy, Dragica Sekulić said that the Government, while carefully monitoring events in modern energy and listening reactions of the best ones, among first in Europe, noted sufficient maturity of both, technological solutions and market conditions, for suspension of financial incentives of investments to renewable resources of energy.

"Convinced in attractiveness of the environment that we created in the country, we bravely presented to the international public the new approach, thus leading a new wave of investment, without necessary state interventionism," said Minister Sekulić.

According to Minister Sekulić, the fact that the renowned company such as WPD applied for the project implementation, "clearly confirms that we also have had a luck".

"But only, for we knew where to seek for it. We were seeking for, while looking up to the best European practices. We are proud of finding solution precisely in the German energy industry. It is not only confirmation for Montenegrin energy, but also a giant step forward in quality of the economic cooperation between our countries. Of course, along with the wholehearted aid, as in numerous other examples of our Croatian partners," Minister Sekulić pointed out.

She said that the best ones will work on the project, indicating that the Contract worth EUR 101, 3 million was concluded after negotiations conducted via video conferences.

"Probably the first ones of such extension and type, on investment of that value, which were successfully finalized from the distance. For that, it is a symbol more – permanent reminder of our join fight against consequences of the novel Sars-Cov- 2 and our rapid and flexible response," Minister Sekulić said.

Energiewende in Montenegro, she said, has begun.

"We prove it with deeds and results, not with platitudes, pre-election promises and empty declarations. From Briska gora, through Brajići to Gvozd, new, green energy, creates a firm support for the Montenegrin green agreement," said Sekulić.

She explained that the agreement will provide every citizen of Montenegro with sufficient amounts of clean and acceptable energy, the right to produce independently or freely choose from whom to buy their energy.

"The agreement, which will emerge from a constructive dialogue on the use of our hydrological, solar and environmental potentials in a sustainable manner and to the extent that will permanently eliminate economic and security threats of energy dependence," Sekulic pointed out.

Director of the WPD Adria, Zoran Obradović, emphasised that he was proud of the fact that the WPD, as a global and powerful company, with implemented gigawatt of wind farms and invested billions of euros, expressed readines to enter the project that will develop without state incentives, guaranteed premium prices, on the market basis.

"Nevertheless, the state of Montenegro has found mechanisms to provide a serious and responsible investor like us, with the signing of today's Agreement, legal certainty and clear deadlines for the next steps that both parties will have to take to make oprational the power plant in an ambitious, but achievable four years," Obradović pointed out.

He assessed the model proposed by the Government of Montenegro as most modern in the region, which follows European trends and enables safe investments.

The Brajići wind farm, as he said, will be a power plant with a capacity of more than 100 MW that will produce about 220 GWh of clean electricity per year, thus providing over 50,000 average households.

"We will invest over EUR 100 million in the implementation of this project. We will work as expected from a German investor: responsibly, meticulously, accurately and efficiently and set high standards and expectations for future projects in terms of good relations with the local community, respect for commitments, deadlines, high valuation and careful disposal of land, which state entrusted us for thirty year," concluded Obradović.

The Deputy Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Montenegro, Christoph Breunig, said that Montenegro had set ambitious goals in the field of renewable energy sources, and through the signed project, as he assessed, approached the fulfillment of the Paris Agreement on Climate Protection.

"This is a wise decision, and from our perspective, it is the right path, especially given the accession Chapter 27, which is dedicated to the protection of the environment and natural resources. But I am especially glad that German technologies are used in this energy project, which not only lead to energy security in Montenegro, but also strengthen the German-Montenegrin economic relations with WPD, in which you have a strong and technologically innovative partner. I wish you success in this joint German-Montenegrin project," Breunig pointed out.

The director of the WPD company for Europe, Andreas Chollet, also addressed with a video message and on that occasion thanked the Ministry of Economy, with which, as he said, they had very good negotiations.

"You have understood the needs of our company very well and we are very satisfied with the atmosphere during our negotiations," said Chollet.

Ministry of the Economy