Written by Branko Kotri
The 2024 Energy Balance Implementation Report, published on the Ministry of Energy’s website on March 26, 2025, states that solar power plants in Montenegro generated 61.52 GWh (gigawatt-hours) of electricity. This is 58.85% of the target set for the year and represents a fivefold increase compared to 2023. At first glance, this seems like a positive result, especially when compared to the previous year. However, a closer look at the actual data reveals a different story.
After thoroughly reviewing the report, I found that the actual solar power production in 2024 was only 41.21 GWh - 20.32 GWh, or roughly a third less than what was reported by the Ministry. The inflated figures stem from the overestimated production from solar plants that have been under construction for nearly three years. These plants, part of the SOLARI 3000+, 500+, and 5000+ projects with a total capacity of 100 MW, are intended for customer-producers.
I decided to conduct a detailed analysis because the information surrounding the progress of these projects has been inconsistent from the start. The Ministry’s report fails to address this issue, and there is no data provided on the actual electricity generated by the solar plants for the customers of these projects. Additionally, production data for the Brana Vrtac, Brana Slano, and distribution solar plants are missing, despite these figures being specifically included in Montenegro’s 2024 Energy Balance.
In the report’s "ACTUAL PRODUCTION" section (1.1), on page 4, the Ministry adds the following footnote:
“The installation of solar panels at the connection points for customer-producers did not follow the expected timeline for connection to the distribution network. As a result, there are discrepancies in production data at the metering points and the actual amount of electricity produced by the solar panels. For this report, CEDIS’s data on the estimated electricity handed over from the solar panels at the customer-producer sites to the distribution network was used.”
This is quite baffling.
It’s hard to believe that the Ministry of Energy is unaware of the following facts:
- In this case, we’re dealing with solar power plants built as part of the SOLARI 3000+, 500+, and 5000+ projects, which collectively represent an investment of around 100 million euros.
- Over the past 70 years, high-precision electricity meters have been installed throughout Montenegro’s distribution system, which currently serves around 450,000 end users.
- Since 2012, multifunctional metering devices with remote reading capabilities have been installed at about two-thirds of the metering points, with an investment exceeding 110 million euros.
- The cost of energy connection equipment for these plants, including systems for measuring electricity delivered to the distribution network, amounts to 15 million euros, or 15% of the total project value.
Without speculating on the reasons behind such a significant oversight, I must point out that the independent Energy Regulatory Agency raised concerns in its 2023 Energy Status Report about the issues surrounding the connection of customer-producers and the tracking of their solar power production, and it initiated legal proceedings.
What actions have the relevant authorities taken to address this?
Stay tuned, Antena M will publish the second part of this article tomorrow, which will cover the progress of solar power plant projects for customer-producers from June 2022 to December 2024.
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