Rita Gossweiler, Solar Power – “Smart Green” is Our Vision for Montenegro

SOLAR POWER is the first, and so far, the only company in Montenegro to get the building permit for the construction of a large solar power plant. On 130 hectares, in the Cetinje-area settlement of Čevo, they will build a power plant with a total power of 150 MW.

They went from the initial idea to obtaining the permit in slightly over a year and a half, and it was a challenging journey, but they succeeded in doing what they had intended. This investment is getting closer to being realized, so the beginning of the construction of the solar power plant is expected this year.

As Rita Gossweiler of SOLAR POWER said in an interview for eKapija, the production of sustainable and clean energy was her and her partner’s personal main motivation to invest in a solar power plant. They founded the company in 2020 and already knew back then that the energy sector would have to expand significantly in order to meet the constantly growing demand in Eastern and Western Europe.

– SOLAR POWER will build a state of the art 150 MW solar power plant that meets the highest technical quality standards. In particular, we will fulfill the normative requirements of the European Union for solar power plants. We are paying particular attention to a continuous electricity feed-in over a long period during the day. In order to guarantee the grid security of the electricity grid operator CGES even in the event of an imminent shutdown, we could provide CGES with balancing energy to avoid grid overloads.

SOLAR POWER will begin construction in 2024 and be connected to the grid in early 2027. The annual electricity production cannot yet be precisely quantified. As a guideline, we can say that we can generate between five and eight per cent of the total electricity currently produced in Montenegro on our 130 hectares of land. This example shows the potential of green energy. And it can be achieved without any major or irreversible interventions in nature. But it needs capital. The investment costs increase exponentially with the technical requirements.

eKapija: You completed the whole journey from the beginning of the realization of the project to the obtaining of the construction permit pretty fast, in a year and a half. How difficult was it to go through the whole process, what were the challenges that you faced? Do you perhaps have some advice for potential investors which plan to invest in this field?

– The authorization process was demanding. Firstly, we clarified the legal requirements and framework conditions in detail, then we drew up a schedule and timetable for when we wanted to tackle or achieve which interim goal with which specialists. My partner and I pushed the project development and the authorization process to the maximum. And we should also mention that we received a great deal of goodwill and support from the authorities, for which we were very grateful. At some point, we were seized by the ambition to be the first company in Montenegro to obtain a building permit for a large solar power plant. We are very happy and grateful to have achieved our goal.

We knew from the outset that it would be a Hercule task with many unknown factors. But we certainly did a lot of things right: we founded a company, bought land in Čevo (Cetinje) and incorporated, which had not yet been zoned at the time, into our company SOLAR POWER. This was followed by detailed studies of the annual hours of sunshine, soil conditions and topography. We called in recognized engineers and specialists and had a preliminary project for a 150 MW solar power plant drawn up. As a result, our land was zoned as solar land by government decree.

We began the environmental impact assessment at an early stage, a complex three-stage process that included a detailed study and public hearings. In addition, possible negative effects on flora and fauna were analyzed over a longer period of time. We also cleared this obstacle.

The preliminary project was continuously developed and tested by the EKC in Belgrade using a simulation process. It had to be clarified whether the Montenegrin and Eastern European electricity grid could take the energy fed in by our solar power plant all year round.

This was followed by the connection agreement with the Montenegrin electricity grid operator CGES CRNOGORSKI ELEKTROPRENOSNI SISTEM with 170 MW connection taxes paid, and as a final step, the granting of the building permit for the construction of a 150 MW solar power plant on the basis of the revised preliminary project.

eKapija: We are witnesses to the fact that there is an increasing interest in the whole region in investing in renewable sources, but also that it all brings numerous challenges. From your experience, what is it that the state could do in order for the number of investments in this field to increase – is it auctions, adopting new regulations…?

– Many energy companies have recognized the importance of investing in Montenegrin energy projects. The European Union also has an eminent interest in the further development of the Eastern European electricity market and better integration with the Western European electricity market. Montenegro has a key role to play here. The EU has been supporting Montenegro for years for the continuous development of the high-voltage grid.

Montenegro recognized this potential early on and positioned itself right by creating an investor-friendly environment. Montenegro will soon be generating a significant proportion of its gross domestic product from energy production and will be playing in a different league in Europe's esteem. The further expansion of the electricity grid will enable further energy projects to be developed, which will ultimately benefit all of Montenegro's inhabitants.

eKapija: Cetinje has turned out to be the location for which there is the most interest when it comes to the construction of solar power plants. How have you recognized Čevo as a suitable location for the development of the project? In general, what are the potentials of Montenegro when it comes to solar energy and are you recognizing any other parts of the country as suitable for the construction of power plants?

– One of the most important hubs of the Eastern European high-voltage grid is being built in Čevo (municipality of Cetinje). The new substation, which will be completed by the end of 2026, will strengthen a direct connection to the European Union (including via the submarine cable to Italy) and supply the neighboring countries of the Eastern European high-voltage grid.

When SOLAR POWER invested in land in 2020, the exact location of the Čevo substation was not known. The 400 kV high-voltage line (Lastva - Pljevlja) runs across one of our plots, so we assumed that the location of the Čevo substation might not be far away.

Of course, there are many locations in Montenegro where sustainable electricity could be generated. However, it must be checked in each individual case whether it is also possible to feed the electricity into the high-voltage grid.

eKapija: Will you realize the investment on your own or seek potential partners for the project?

– We would like to realize our 150 MW solar power plant in Čevo by ourselves. Possibly together with a partner. Intensive negotiations are currently being held on both options. The decision will be made in the next 1 to 2 months.

eKapija: What are the plans of Solar Power for the next period? Are you considering the realization of new investments in Montenegro, perhaps even in the region, where investments in renewable energy sources are gaining traction?

– SOLAR POWER will be at the forefront of the construction of our solar power plant in Čevo. We have built up an incredible network over the years thanks to the great attention our solar project has received both at national and international level. That's why SOLAR POWER want to continue to help shape the Montenegrin electricity market in the future.

We will promote solar power plant that have a lot of battery storage and, feed electricity into the high-voltage grid as needed throughout the day.

Smart management of the production process will avoid grid overload at midday and the expensive power shortage in the early evening hours would be eliminated. The new dynamic in the electricity market would lead to lower electricity costs for households.

SMART GREEN: That is our vision for Montenegro.

Solar Power

Crnogroski elektroprenosni sistem

CGES

Čevo solar

solar power plant in Čevo

construction of solar power plant