ĐOKIĆ: CONSTRUCTION OF THREE SMALL HYDROPOWER PLANTS ACCORDING TO SCHEDULE

FOČA, APRIL 15 /SRNA/ - Three small hydropower plants on the Bistrica River near Foča are being intensively built and all works will be completed according to plan, by the end of 2026, said the Minister of Energy and Mining of Republika Srpska, Petar Đokić, who visited the construction site today.

The total installed capacity of this system is 39 megawatts with a total annual production of 152 gigawatt-hours of electricity. Đokić says the project, based on a previously signed contract, is worth EUR 102,816,000. "We expect certain changes during the implementation, but in any case this project represents an exceptional value for the Republika Srpska energy system. The minister of energy praised the contractor - the Chinese AVIC Company for, as he said, the impressive feat of drilling 9,200 meters of tunnels out of the planned 9,800 meters. He has stated that the final internal works on the tunnels should now be carried out and that, according to the contractor's assessment, all works will be carried out within the planned work dynamics and the deadlines stipulated in the contract. Đokić emphasized the importance of this power plant for Foča as it would provide significant financial resources from the concession fee, while a certain number of people will remain to work in the area permanently. "It is useful that this power plant allows local subcontractors to be involved in different phases of implementation, which was one of our important goals - to accelerate the development of our construction operations and to train them in this way for some other, similar projects," emphasized Đokić. The Republika Srpska Government will not stop, he emphasized, adding that work is currently being carried out intensively on the much larger HPP Dabar near Nevesinje, with an installed capacity of 159 megawatts, whose completion is planned in 2027. According to him, the Chinese AVIC Company has demonstrated its construction capabilities in the previous phase and set an example for local contractors on how complex construction works can be carried out in difficult conditions. He added that the supervising body has no objections to the work carried out in the previous phase. Construction site manager Feng Zhou of AVIC noted that the project includes three small hydropower plants with 9,800 meters of tunnels. "There are only 600 meters of tunnels left to complete. We believe in the work dynamics of the project, that we will complete everything within the planned deadline, of course with the full support of Republika Srpska," said Sjong. The CEO of the HPP Bistrica Dejan Pavlović says this company currently has 28 employees from the municipality of Foča, and that the project is very important for the local community and Republika Srpska. "The dynamics of the works are more than excellent, 9.2 kilometers of tunnels have been completed, and it would have been even more, but the level of the Bistrica was quite high," said Pavlović and expressed confidence that all works will be carried out within the scheduled time. After visiting the site, Minister Đokić spoke with representatives of this corporation at the headquarters of the Chinese company in Foča about current issues in the implementation of the project to build three hydroelectric power plants on the Bistrica River. The Bistrica Hydropower Plant is an energy system consisting of three hydroelectric power plants with a total installed capacity of 34 megawatts. The Bistrica is a river that flows throughout the eastern part of Republika Srpska and is a left tributary of the Drina River. Hydropower plants B-1, B-2a and B3 are arranged in a staggered manner in the river downstream. The company HPP Bistrica Foča was formed with the aim of implementing this hydropower project on the Bistrica River.