Montenegrin electricity transmission system On 28 December, a ceremony was held to mark the completion of the new 110/10 kV 'Nikšić 2' substation and the commissioning of the 110 kV cable line. These significant investments in the city of Nikšić will create the prerequisites for economic and social development, as well as the construction of other infrastructure projects. The ceremony was held at the 'Nikšić 2' substation.
The significance of building this substation, which has a closed-type plant, using state-of-the-art GIS technology, is reflected above all in a more reliable and higher-quality electricity supply to the consumer in Nikšić.
"In keeping with our mission to develop the transmission network in a way that ensuresTo have a reliable transmission system with sufficient capacity and unimpeded access for all users, we began preparing for this demanding project three years ago, both technically and financially. I would like to remind you that the overall project involved the construction of a 110/10 kV substation, with a capacity of 2×31.5 MVA, a 110-kilovolt cable from Kličevo to Željezara which connects the substation to the existing transmission network, as well as the construction of a transmission line field at the Nikšić substation. Due to spatial planning constraints and the fact that these facilities were built in an urban area, and following the best European practice in the construction of similar facilities, the technical solutions applied have a minimal negative impact on the environment and people, which was one of our main goals. Specifically, this substation was constructed using GIS technology and the entire switchgear is housed within a building, which is a significantly better solution than the conventional one in terms of space conservation and visual amenity. "Furthermore, instead of a standard overhead high-voltage line, we installed a four-kilometre high-voltage cable, thereby preserving valuable space in the city centre for another purpose," said Dragan Laketić, Chairman of the CGES Board of Directors.
The installed machinery and equipment are products of the renowned European companies ABB and Prizmian, and the work was carried out by the domestic companies Volvoks, Bemaks and Energomontaža with partners. The total value of the investment is over nine and a half million euros.
The Mayor of Nikšić, Veselin Grbović expressed his great satisfaction at the completion of another substation, which has enriched the transmission network in Montenegro: "First of all, I would like to thank the Montenegrin Transmission System for one of the largest investments to be realised in Nikšić in recent years, valued at 11 million euros. The old substation, which was built in '57, did not provide security for the supply of electricity to Nikšić. With the construction of this new substation, along with the reconstruction of the existing one, Nikšić is solving its capital problems."
In addition to this project, for which CGES are particularly proud, as for the first time they built a complete GIS substation and a 110 kV cable in the GIS technology, CGES is also carrying out another project in Nikšić, which is also very specific and demanding: the reconstruction and replacement of equipment in the aforementioned, oldest substation in Montenegro, located next to the Ironworks. Upon completion of the planned works, the facility will be completely reconstructed, which, together with the substation, will significantly alter the picture of power supply to consumers from the transmission network in Nikšić.
One of the segments of this reconstruction has recently been completed – the replacement of the transformer, which had been in operation for almost 60 years, with a new 40 MVA unit. The value of the works (carried out by the company Elnos Podgorica) on the transformer replacement is 800,000 euro, and the total value of the other works relating to the reconstruction is around 700,000 euro, which means that CGES has invested a total of 11 million euros in these two investments in Nikšić. The result of this investment is a new 73MVA capacity from the transmission network, which is an increase of almost 80% compared to the previous transformer capacity.
"We believe that with the nearly completed investment in Kotor, these investments in Nikšić, and a number of other ongoing investments, we have confirmed the Montenegrin Electricity Transmission System's multi-year focus on development and investment activities. Despite the complex environment in which we have been operating for the past few years, we have seen a continuous year-on-year increase in our investment realisation, which in 2016 reached a record amount of 30 million euros. The total value of investments realised over the last seven years, since CGES began operating as an independent business entity, amounts to an impressive 112 million euros," emphasised Laketić.