18 August 2019 - Natural gas that is going to be transported by the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline, will contribute to decarbonization and its effects will be felt in South-East Europe and Western Balkans primarily, said a representative of TAP for Greece Katerina Papaleksandri.

According to Papaleksandri, energy sectors hinge on hard fossil fuels for electricity production, such as coal and lignite.

"Trans-Adriatic Pipeline will help Europe shift to the economy with low carbon-dioxide share, it will diversify energy supply sources, strengthen European competition and improve the European gas connection. We expect demand for natural gas to increase, since it replaces coal and wood," said Papaleksandri.

Trans-Adriatic Pipeline is part of Trans-Anatolian Pipeline which came into use last summer and is intended to bring gas to the Azerbaijani  Shah Deniz 2 gas field in the Caspian Sea, crossing Turkey to Europe. Trans-Adriatic Pipeline starts at the Greek-Turkish border, goes through Albania, Adriatic Sea and comes ashore in Southern Italy. The first gas deliveries will begin next year.

Papaleksandri said that works in Greece and Albania neared completion and that almost all pipes had been filled and installed.

"Trans-Adriatic Pipeline is currently moving further into the project construction phase. Compressor and dosing stations are being completed, pipeline receiving terminal in Italy as well," pointed out Papaleksandri.

She points out that the European Commission and the EU Member States have recognized the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline as a very important strategic project. The pipeline is 878 kilometers long.

On 1 July, the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline launched a market test, a commercial process through which gas shippers can get access to new, long-term capacities.

Trans-Adriatic Pipeline representative for Greece says that natural gas is the best energy source in conjunction with renewable resources, thanks to its price and natural characteristics.

"Gas, as the cleanest fuel fossil fuel, has clear environmental advantages over other energy sources such as coal and oil," stressed out Papaleksandri, as CdM reports.

She adds that the development of renewable energy resources is crucial to European transition to the economy with low carbon-dioxide share.

"Natural gas will still be part of the divergent energy mix, which includes other energy sources, such as renewable nuclear sources. Europe will need reliable, safe and accessible energy coming from various sources. In accordance with the European Energy Strategy, every EU Member State should have access to at least three electricity supply sources," concluded Papaleksandri.

Trans-Adriatic Pipeline stretch passing through Montenegro is Ionian-Adriatic pipeline. Papaleksandri said that she did not want to comment on other pipeline systems.

"Trans-Adriatic Pipeline remains open for cooperation with IAP promoters," added Papaleksandri.

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17 August 2019 - Works on the Bar-Boljare highway are going according to plan. The latest video recording made by the Bemax company clearly shows it.

Three bridges have been finished, and the first segment of Moračica has been connected. The bridge is expected to be finished by September. Moračica will be 360 meters long and 23,4 meters wide. Five pillars will support it. The range from the bottom of the Morača riverbed to carriageway construction will amount to more than 200 meters.

The most expensive bridge on the highway priority section, Smokovac-Mateševo, is the Moračica bridge and its cost will be around 74,5 million EUR. The Preslo bridge will cost 1,3 million EUR, said the representatives of the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs of Montenegro.

According to the data, around 205,3 million EUR has been spent on the construction of 20 bridges and 387,6 million EUR has been earmarked for the construction of 16 tunnels on the Bar - Boljare highway. After Moračica, Jabuka bridge is the most expensive (29,3 million EUR). It is followed by Uvac 4 (18 million EUR), Tara 2 (14,6 million EUR) and Tara 1 (8,6 million EUR).

As far as tunnels are concerned, Vjeternik is the most expensive – 66,8 million EUR. Kosman tunnel costs 51,9 million EUR and Vežešnik tunnel costs 44,7 million EUR. Mala trava costs almost 40 million EUR and Jabučki krš 28,4 million EUR. Vitanovice and Pajkov vir will cost 5,9 million EUR and 7,3 million EUR respectively.

Representatives of Bemax company, the biggest sub-contractor of CRBC, said that works would be finished within the established deadline, as Cafe del Montenegro reported.

First highway section is expected to be finished in the middle of 2020.

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16 August 2019 - Company "Design and CO" from Tivat has obtained approval for building a residential complex in Kavač settlement in Kotor. Conceptual design for another two residential facilities has been approved as well. The complex will consist of 5 buildings and it will have a total of 119 residential units. The project has been approved by Dušan Vuksanović, the acting chief state architect.

Chief Executive Officer of the "Design and CO" company is Sonad Kiliclar, who is also the founder of the company with 51% of the ownership.

Technical description of the facility states that it will be intended for tourists’ residence.

The conceptual design envisages 4 phases of the project. First two phases are currently underway. The first phase entails construction of two residential facilities, Block A and Block B, as well as the construction of a pool with a technical premise. The second phase involves the construction of one residential facility, block C. Phase III entails the construction of a garage with open parking. Phase IV involves the construction of two residential facilities, block D and block E.

Block A will consist of a ground floor, two floors and 36 residential units. Block B consists of a basement, ground floor and it will have 18 flats. Block C will have a basement, ground floor and two floors. It will have 23 flats. These three structures are currently under construction. The garage will have eight parking places. Open parking consists of the lower level, which is naturally sloped and has 101 parking places, and the upper level, which is parallel with the main road. It will have 12 parking places, as Cafe del Montenegro reports.

Block D will have two basement floors, ground floor, two floors and it will have 28 residential units. Block E will have a basement, ground floor and 14 residential units.

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15 August 2019 - The Ministry of Defense of Montenegro will acquire optoelectronic devices for the units of the Armed Forces of Montenegro. Optoelectronic devices include uncrewed aerial vehicles whose total value is estimated at 322.000 EUR, reported CdM.

Optoelectronic devices are means used for night surveillance and shooting, which convert image from an invisible infra-red area into a visible area.

Units of the army require four thermovision sets, “first responder aerial kit” which includes gyrostabilized camera and an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) that is able to fly not less than 25 minutes. The Ministry also requested that thermal camera image resolution should not be less than 640 x 512 pixels and that entire kit should have at least two control devices with a screen for monitoring and documenting the identified situation in the field.

The Ministry of Defense is planning to provide the army with two thermal multi-functional devices for target location which can magnify the image by at least six times and which have image resolution not weaker than 1280 x 1024 pixels in limited visibility mode.

Devices must have integrated GPS receiver for exchange of data with commercial GPS systems.

Units of the Armed Forces also need binocular devices for night observation, as well as 28 spyglasses. They will also acquire four thermovision targets capable of detecting humans at a distance of 1.500 meters, recognizing humans at a distance of 600 meters and identifying humans at a distance of 360 meters.

This equipment will cost the Ministry 472.680 EUR and it will include equipment for infantry armament, equipment for Joint Terminal Attack Controller, diving equipment and kit for rescuers. The equipment for infantry armament will cost 33.680 EUR.

JTAC equipment will cost 23.000 EUR, diving equipment will cost 60.000 EUR, whereas equipment for rescuers will cost 34.000 EUR.

According to the Defense Strategy published earlier, the Ministry is planning to train and equip 50% of land forces for taking part and 10% of land forces for sustainable engagement in NATO peace and crisis response operations. The maximum contribution to NATO forces will be the engagement of a reinforced infantry company deployed in two six-month rotations. One infantry company will be engaged to contribute to leading NATO peace and crisis response operations.

Armed Forces will be equipped with 68 light-armored vehicles. By the end of the year, the Ministry should have signed a procurement contract.

The best-equipped armies around the world are extending technological boundaries. One of the fastest-developing weapons is uncrewed aerial vehicle.

For example, M19 Reaper drone has radically changed how the USA is carrying out military operations. It was first used in 2001 and it’s been used in a great number of missions across Iraq, Somalia and Pakistan ever since.

Military drones usually perform reconnaissance, spy and direct military tasks. American Air Force is planning to drastically increase its fleet of uncrewed vehicles in the operational use.

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14 August 2019 - The construction of Boulevard from Jaz to the Tivat Airport (reconstruction of the Adriatic Highway) will start next year. This project will considerably improve the conditions of this section. In summer it is often jammed, with little movement on the roads. The project will cost around 26 million EUR and the construction will take around two years, reports Cafe del Montenegro.

“The tender will be invited at the end of September. By the end of the year, we will know the contractor,” said the Director of Transport Administration Savo Parača.

The development of tender documentation for the contractor is following the procedures established by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Boulevard will be 16 kilometers long and Parača added that the Regional Water supply system has joined the project. Simultaneously with the construction of boulevard, the extension of capacities of the water supply grid will be well underway.

“The regional water supply system joined the project because it uses the loan granted by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. That project is worth between 10 million euros and 12 million euros. We thought it would be much cheaper and faster if we joined these two projects together. Everything has to be done according to European standards,” concluded Parača, using the opportunity to announce another important project.

“Complete reconstruction of the thoroughfare from Kamenovo to Bar is planned. The project is in the final phase. The tender procedure is going to be initiated in autumn,” stated Parača.

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For the first time in its history, the airport in Tivat will soon receive a special vehicle for towing and pushing aircraft on the airport platform (the so-called pushback tug), and the airport in Podgorica will get the vehicle for defrosting.

Montenegro Airports have issued tenders in value of 250,000 for the tug and 360,000 for the defrosting vehicle.

The tug will significantly improve the service of aircraft in Tivat and facilitate the work of ground handling teams and aircraft crews, who are now self-operating, parked on or off the platform of the airport Tivat. A tug with power and dimensions sufficient to serve commercial C-category passenger airplanes weighing up to 90 tons is required.

Special fluid from the defrosting vehicle sprays the wings and tail surfaces of the aircraft. Although the climatic conditions in Podgorica almost never freeze at the airport, AMNE has, after a severe winter a year and a half ago which caused major difficulties in air traffic during several days, opted to purchase this expensive equipment

Tug bids will be received by September 16, and the successful bidder will have 150 days from the date of signing the contract to deliver the new vehicle to Tivat Airport and to train the employees who will use it. The tender for the defrosting vehicle ends on 15 August and the successful tenderer will have 180 days to deliver it.

Text by Sinisa Lukovic, on August 12th, 2019, read more at Vijesti

The Ministry of Economy is launching a new phase of the Energy Efficient Home program aimed at reducing heating costs and increasing household comfort, achieving significant reductions in CO2 emissions, as well as developing a market for heating systems for modern biomass in Montenegro, as announced from the ministry.

The program entails an attractive and sustainable financial mechanism for the implementation of energy efficiency measures in households. For the purpose of this program, the Ministry of Economy has provided EUR 100,000 for subsidizing interest and fees for processing of loans to households in Montenegro that can be used to purchase and install heating systems for modern forms of biomass (pellets, briquettes), which include boilers/furnaces , piping and/or radiators, for the installation of thermal insulation on the facade of a residential building and for the installation of energy-efficient facade joinery.

Within the Program, citizens will be able to apply for interest-free loans up to a maximum amount of 10,000, with a repayment period of up to six (6) years, for the implementation of the above energy efficiency measures in their households, while the Ministry of Economy will subsidize interest and processing costs of loans for the entire loan repayment period. The Ministry of Economy stated that they are implementing this program in cooperation with partner companies that are the leading contractors Mikromont Bijelo Polje, Home Systems Podgorica, Plam Engineering Podgorica, Veneta Plamen Podgorica, Energos Podgorica and the consortium "LD gradnja-Cerovo" Niksic, as well as partner banks Hipotekarna and Lovcen Bank.“ The program foresees that a citizen should contact a qualified contractor to obtain more detailed information on an offer under the Energy Efficient Home program. Upon receiving the offer to perform the works, the citizen applies to the Ministry of Economy, with a request for confirmation that he or she is eligible to participate in the program, with supporting documentation proving that the object on which the works will be performed is legal, that is, in the process of legalization.

The request and supporting documentation can be submitted to the archives of the Ministry of Economy (Rimski trg 46, 81000 Podgorica) in person or by mail or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ”, the Ministry of Economy said.

If the request is approved, the Ministry issues a certificate that the citizen is eligible to participate in the program, after which the citizen applies to the bank for a loan.

Procedures for the implementation of the program "Energy Efficient Home", contacts of partner companies and banks, unit prices of materials, equipment and services offered within the program, application form for obtaining a certificate for participation in the program can be downloaded at www.energetska-efikasnost.me

In the previous phase of the “Energy Efficient Home” program, energy efficiency measures were implemented in 93 households in Montenegro.

This program is a continuation of the earlier “Energy Wood” program, implemented by the Ministry of Economy through three phases since 2013, which has installed around 1,010 pellet and briquette heating systems throughout Montenegro.

Interested citizens can obtain all information regarding the said program by e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling 020 482 186.

Information on the dynamics of program implementation will be regularly published on the website www.energetska-efikasnost.me

Text by Goran Kapor, on August 7th, 2019, read more at Vijesti