Serbia, Bosnia’s Serb Republic Need Partner To Launch Hydropower Plants Project – Media

BANJA LUKA (Bosnia and Herzegovina), July 6 (SeeNews) – Bosnia’s Serb Republic Prime Minister Milorad Dodik said the Republic and neighbouring Serbia need a strategic partner to start construction works on four hydropower plants on the Drina river, Bosnian media reported on Monday.

Dodik said the joint project may be delayed due to the financial crisis as a strategic partner is needed, business news portal Capital (www.capital.ba) reported.

In February, Bosnia’s Serb Republic said Serbia and Bosnia plan to invest jointly 435 million euro ($606 million) in the construction of the plants.

“I held talks with Serbian officials ten days ago on how to speed up the construction works and we agreed to look for a partner who would build together with us, the power utilities of Serbia and the Serb Republic,” Dodik was quoted as saying.

The partner should provide money for the project and will receive in return an ownership stake, Dodik added, without elaborating on the amount of money the partner is expected to come up with.

The four plants - Buk Bjela, Foca, Paunci and Sutjeska - will use the hydro potential of the upper flow of the Drina river, which forms most of the border between Bosnia and Serbia. Their combined annual electricity output is planned to reach 800 gigawatt hours, the ministry said in February.

The Serb Republic, where the Drina is flowing, is one of war-divided Bosnia’s two autonomous parts. The other is the Muslim-Croat Federation.

($=0.7180 euro)

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