Enhancing transmission infrastructure, aligning with European regulations, and improving regional coordination are essential for ensuring the security, stability, and resilience of power systems in Montenegro and across the region.
This was the central message from the panel discussion “Modern Challenges in Power System Operation: Ensuring Stability, Flexibility, and Resilience,” held as part of the IX Conference of the Montenegrin Committee of the International Council on Large Electric Systems (CG KO CIGRE).
Ranko Redžić, Director of the National Dispatching Centre at Crnogorski elektroprenosni sistem (CGES), emphasized that countries in the region and all transmission system operators should accelerate the adoption of EU regulations and enhance system coordination to prevent disturbances like those experienced in the past.
“Such disturbances can never be completely avoided, but the risks can be significantly reduced through proactive cooperation,” Redžić explained.
He added that the green transition requires a significantly stronger and more modern power grid.
“Infrastructure development and reinforcement are prerequisites for integrating renewable energy sources and ensuring supply security—both in the region and across Europe,” Redžić said.
Speaking about CGES’s current projects, he highlighted two major regional projects nearing completion this year:
- The 150 km transmission line Lastva-Pljevlja, and
- The installation of a 250 MW shunt reactor at the Lastva substation, which will help regulate and reduce high voltage levels in the system.
He also announced new planned investments, including:
- Strengthening the 220 kV grid from the direction of Bosnia to Albania,
- A new interconnection with Serbia via the Pljevlja–Bajina Bašta line, and
- A connection with Bosnia and Herzegovina through the Brezna–Sarajevo project, including the construction of the Brezna substation.
“These projects will enable the integration of a large number of new energy sources—not only renewables, but potentially also new conventional plants, such as hydro or gas,” he noted.
Redžić also highlighted the company's focus on cybersecurity:
“We are in the process of procuring a new SCADA system, which will be protected with the highest level of security currently available,” he stated.
He further stressed the importance of regular maintenance of transmission corridors to reduce the risk of fires and other incidents:
“This isn’t just a task for CGES—it’s a matter of national importance. However, it is our responsibility to ensure regular maintenance and prevent incidents that could endanger the system,” Redžić concluded.
Miloš Đurđević, Head of Data Quality and Analytics at the Security Coordination Centre (SCC d.o.o.) in Belgrade, explained that SCC coordinates the operation of transmission system operators across different timeframes—from one year ahead down to intraday planning, approximately eight hours before real-time operations.
“Coordinated capacity calculation was one of the key topics of this panel. Unfortunately, our region still lacks an adequate system for this, and it’s clear that improvements are necessary,” Đurđević said.
With regard to regulatory frameworks, Đurđević emphasized the importance of harmonization:
“The regulatory framework is largely transposed from EU legislation. It is up to national regulators to adopt it with minimal modifications to suit local systems. Our company stands ready to support transmission system operators in implementation and execution,” he stated.
He also noted that regional cooperation has been ongoing and steadily improving for over a decade:
“Coordination has been functioning at a high level for over ten years, with continuous progress. I don’t see obstacles—only opportunities for further improvement, especially as transmission system operators face new challenges. These requirements are also passed on to regional security coordinators, and so far, they have all been successfully implemented. I have no doubt this will continue,” Đurđević concluded.
Other speakers on the panel included Elio Voshtina (OST, Albania), Bojan Rebić (NOS BiH, Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Slobodan Marković (EKC, Serbia).