November 13, 2018 - The quality of electricity supply can be better, Economy Minister Dragica Sekulic said yesterday, adding that the 50 million euros, which the Montenegrin Electricity Distribution System (CEDIS) has chosen to invest in the network, will reduce the number and duration of the electricity outages.
According to Pobjeda, Executive Director of CEDIS, Zoran Djukanovic, said that the company is aware of the fact that, especially in rural areas, the quality of the power supply is not at a satisfactory level.
"I am not satisfied neither as a citizen nor as a minister responsible for the quality of electricity supply, because I would not be in CEDIS today and we would not talk for some time about how to give the best effects with limited resources," Sekulic said at the press conference after a meeting with the management of CEDIS.
She stated that the distribution network was designed for a smaller number of users and added that it would have to adapt to the requirements.
"The more we are distant from Podgorica and certain tourist centers, the quality of supply is weaker," Sekulic said and added that there were no investments in the network for a long time.
She recalled that the ministry and CEDIS have been preparing a revitalization program and that CEDIS has committed 50 million euros for the next three years.
"With those 50 million CEDIS intends to improve the quality of the power supply for the citizens. In the next three years, we intend to fix a certain number of transmission lines, airlines, and reduce the number and duration of electricity outages," Sekulic said and explained that it is not a classic replacement of pillars and wires, but that this project will be measured by indicators that speak about the quality of power supply.
She pointed out that every euro invested in the network must be justified by the number of interruptions, the duration and the quality of the voltage level used by the citizens. She pointed out that a significant topic is a connection to the network.
"The intention of the ministry is that in the upcoming period, and we will try by the end of the year, to initiate a change in a number of regulations in order to simplify the process of connecting consumers to the network," Sekulic said. Djukanovic said that CEDIS is aware of the fact that, especially in rural areas, the quality of power supply for the citizens is not at a satisfactory level.
"Through communication with the Government and the Ministry, this project was designed in order to invest about EUR 50 million in a relatively short period in order to reduce the duration and number of electricity outages, as well as to improve the voltage conditions for the citizens in the suburbs," explained Djukanovic and stressed that the network was neglected in favor of the tourist region, so the quality of this service is too low.
"Network connections are one of the most complex processes in CEDIS. We have made some conclusions and I hope that we will come up with new solutions that will shorten the time of connection to the new users," added Djukanovic.
Text by Pobjeda, on November 13th 2018, read more at CdM
