Implementation of the project to build power plant Vranduk on the Bosna River has started. Business in the value of nearly 57 million euro should be completed by 2020.
Investor Elektroprivreda BiH has provided 11.3 million of its own funds. The rest are the loan funds from the European financial institutions. The selected contractor is a joint venture of Austrian Strabag and Croatian Koncar.
“This is a ‘turnkey’ contract type and it consists of three phases: design of dams, development of software and construction work and the testing and commissioning,” explains Sladoljud Pezerović, head of the group in BiH Strabag AG.
At the location of the future construction site work will not be visible in the next six months, so it is necessary to do pre-project documentation, provide and deliver assembly equipment.
Let us remind that the beginning of exploration work on the energy facility was announced back in 2010. Why was this project “on hold” for more than five years? From Elektroprivreda BiH they respond:
The project HPP “Vranduk” includes the construction of complex hydroelectric production building whose design and preparation of construction demand many problems to be solved. Preparation of the construction of such a facility takes time and pulls a list of “invisible activities” exploration, research, screening, making the financial structure, resolving property and administrative issues approval of construction, procurement, etc.
Over the past years, the very idea of the construction of hydro power plant Vranduk was the reason for the fierce reaction of ecologists. Despite of that, it was clear that Elektroprivreda BiH is determined to implement this project, after an agreement on a friendly environment in the amount of 1.4 million was signed with the local community. These funds were provided for the construction of more than 30 infrastructure facilities in the wider area of Vranduk, but the least went to the inhabitants of the village Vranduk.
“Eleketroprivreda quickly turned its back quickly to the local community, and it was easiest to get the environmental permit here, without a single objection at the Assembly held in Vranduk. The promises were great before they got that permission,” said Besim Begic, president of the local community.
“There was an announcement on the reconstruction of water supply systems, but none of it has been done,” adds a resident of Vranduk Mustafa Sehic.
This is what could be the reason for the negative attitude of the inhabitants of this village towards the construction of this facility. Contractor believes that there will be no resistance.
“It is our intention to employ local businesses that can perform some of the work. We have a feeling that people are expecting this job,” says Pezerović.
Also, during the construction of energy capacity the contractor has an obligation to build a part of the local road which will be immersed during the construction of the dam, and repair the existing local roads and the river coast near the hydroelectric power plant, transmits Serbia-energy.eu