200 MW PV Tender In Montenegro

Montenegro's Ministry of Economy has issued a public call to lease state-owned land for the construction of a solar power plant with over 200 MW capacity. The government wants to lease the land for a period of 30 years. The initial (minimal) price of the annual state-owned lease is €0.05/m².

Construction of the plant will be implemented in two stages. In the first stage, at least 50 MW is planned to be developed within 18 months from the date of lease agreement for the land is signed. In stage two, construction of the remaining part of up to the total planned installed power of the plant is scheduled to take place within 36 months.

Project location will be in the Briska Gora locality (comprising the municipalities of Briska Gora, Darza and Zoganje) and Ulcinj municipality. Bids will need to be submitted in the Montenegrin language.

Final date to submit bids is September 3, 2018. Details about the tender announcement are available on the website of the Ministry of Economy.

Under its current National Renewable Energy Action Plan, Montenegro doesn't have very big plans for solar in its electricity mix. By 2020, it foresees 0.7% share coming from solar power plants and 13.8% share from wind power plants. According to the country's Energy Development Strategy, by 2020 it aims to install 150 MW wind power capacity and 10 MW of solar power capacity.

The 200 MW PV tender means a huge expansion step for the solar sector in the country. Montenegro is one of several countries in Europe, which follow policy guidelines for renewable energy auction processes issued by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Energy Community Secretariat (see RE Auction Guidelines By EBRD & EnCS).