Electrical engineers should be given the greater importance in decision-making that they are due.
President of the CGES Board of Directors, Aleksandar Mijušković, on behalf of the general sponsor of the 'Seven Days of Electrical Engineers', officially opened this year's conference, which is being held on 18 and 19 October 2023 in Podgorica. Addressing the engineers, his colleagues, Mijušković emphasised that he believes engineers feel at their best in their workplaces, but that he has no doubt they will make their full contribution to this professional event.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors, speaking about details from the company's portfolio, emphasised that Montenegro has become an energy hub with the construction of the undersea cable to Italy, stating that this is part of the Trans-Balkan Corridor Phase 1.
"We are working hard and striving to complete Phase 2 as well, which should involve the completion of the 400 kilovolt (kV) transmission line from Lastva to Pljevlja. It is an impressive project that passes through eight municipalities and two national parks, for which we have completed 95 per cent of the work, despite numerous problems," stated Mijušković.
He reminded that CGES is building a 110-kilovolt transmission line from Ulcinj to Velipoje.
"We are doing a lot of work when it comes to new substations and strengthening the system. We are building a 400 kV ring. We will build a large switchyard at Čevo. It will be an impressive facility with six transmission lines, and several solar power plants will be connected to it," explained Mijušković.
Regarding financial indicators, he also highlighted that CGES had a profit of 17 million euros in 2021, over 20 million euros in 2022, stating that they expect this year to be a record-breaking one, concluded Aleksandar Mijušković.
President of the Assembly of the IKCG, Srđan Laković, He pointed out that at IKCG they strive to improve the status of engineers in society. 'Over the past few years, we have had exceptionally good cooperation and support from the relevant ministry. I believe we are on the right track for engineers to gain an even greater status in society, which they deserve,' stated Laković.
Electrical engineers should be given the greater decision-making importance they deserve, take an active role and foresee sustainable scenarios when it comes to the construction of renewable energy sources, was the message at the 'Seventh Days of Electrical Engineers' professional conference of the Engineering Chamber of Montenegro (IKCG).
The President of the Chamber of Electrical Engineers IKCG, Sandra Šipčić, said that 'Days of Electrical Engineers' are being organised for the seventh year, with an ever-increasing number of visitors and an ever-increasing number of companies expressing an interest in appearing at this event.
"This event has truly stood out as one of the most significant for the IKCG organisation and as something for which the IKCG has become recognised in recent years. We have endeavoured to select the best professional papers, which will be presented over these two days," emphasised Šipčić.
It is believed that the panels on the topics of green transition, broadband development and artificial intelligence will be of particular interest.
Marina Izgarević-Pavićević, a representative of the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism, said that we are facing significant economic changes and that we must adapt to the labour market and the new conditions.
The Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Montenegro, Saša Mujović, emphasised that the Electrical Engineering Days are becoming a tradition, stating that it is even more important that they are becoming a necessity and a herald for the profession.
"We have an event that is the cohesive force of all of Montenegro's engineering forces, and it is up to us to transform that strength into energy and a message that will carry real weight. I believe the time has come to 'take off the gloves' and to demand, clearly and loudly, adequate treatment for the electricity sector," said Mujović.
President of the Organising Committee of the SEDMI DANI ELEKTRO INŽENJERA IKCG Expert Meeting, Željko Maraš, President of the Organising Committee of the 'SEVEN DAYS OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS IKCG' Professional Conference, emphasised that they had fulfilled and even surpassed the original goal set at the event's inception, stating that over the course of seven years, the conference has grown into one of the most significant electrical engineering conferences in Montenegro.
We strive to discuss not only important topics and trends in the electrical engineering profession, but also socially significant issues and dilemmas during the Days. And we will witness this again this year, because in addition to the professional papers and sponsored presentations, during three panels we will also attend discussions on the green transition, broadband access and artificial intelligence," stated Maraš.
As part of the panel 'Green Transition – Experiences to Date and Implementation Challenges', the Executive Director of CGES, Ivan Asanović, said that Europe is today in an intensive and unstoppable process of green transition, stating that the struggle for a more environmentally friendly environment is a difficult one.
CGES has the privilege, as a member of the European Association of Transmission Operators, to observe how modern transmission operators are doing this and how they are going through the green transition. We must improve a number of aspects in the electricity transmission business and system. We consider the three most important to be: accelerating investment, improving system adequacy, improving system management and maintaining reliability," stated Asanović.
He pointed out that CGES has no major consumers, stating that there are no significant challenges in this regard.
"We knew which energy sources we needed to build, but those sources were not built and that disrupted our plans and work. The situation now is that we have a larger number of registered sources of electricity," said Asanović.
Speaking about the international commitments undertaken by Montenegro regarding the green transition, Merisa Zoronjić, a representative of the Ministry of Capital Investments, said the goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 per cent by 2030. by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
Marina Izgarević-Pavićević, a representative of the Ministry of Ecology, Spatial Planning and Urbanism, said that the codification of regulations in the field of spatial planning is represented by the Law on Spatial Planning and Construction of Objects.
"When preparing the planning documentation, we have an obligation under the Law to obtain opinions from all competent institutions, which serve as input for content planning. This Law provided for the preparation of two planning documents – the Spatial Plan of Montenegro and the Plan of General Regulation," reminded Izgarević-Pavićević.
The CEDIS representative, Boris Ostojić, said that the energy transition can only be successfully implemented under conditions of a high degree of digitalisation and automation of the distribution system.
"We need to start with the basics and collecting static data. The next step is the integration of numerous databases, which would be linked so that the data can be exchanged with each other. The following step is remote monitoring and management. We have all three of these segments underway. The level is very low, but at least we are not at square one," stated Ostojić.
He pointed out that the ambitions for building distributed energy sources are enormous.
The EPCG representative, Ivan Mrvaljević, said that the company stands firmly behind the Pljevlja Power Plant.
"The last two or three years have proven to us how important it is for Montenegro's electricity system. EPCG will do everything to ensure the energy transition is fair and sustainable, and that no one is left behind in the process," stated Mrvaljević.
