Podgorica, (MINA-BUSINESS) – A group of 40 non-governmental organizations, citizens, experts, and environmental activists sent an open letter to the Government and Minister of Energy and Mining Admir Sahmanovic, calling for the suspension of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Japanese company JERA.

They explained that the MoU pertains to the development of fossil gas projects in Montenegro, including a gas-fired power plant and an LNG terminal with supporting infrastructure. The signing of the agreement is scheduled to take place at the GASTECH 2025 gas forum in Milan, running from today until Friday.

The letter states that such plans not only violate Montenegro’s Spatial Plan until 2040, which excluded gas-fired power plants and LNG terminals from the plan, potentially constituting multiple criminal offenses to be reported to relevant EU institutions, but that local governments and citizens have also expressed strong opposition to the project due to safety, environmental, and public health concerns, as well as the risk of creating new debt dependence on imported fossil fuels.

The process of adopting the National Energy and Climate Plan is also underway, which has received numerous negative comments regarding the development of gas infrastructure. The Government is therefore obliged to postpone and reassess any plans for projects that significantly hinder Montenegro’s decarbonization targets for 2050.

The NGOs also warned that the project is economically unjustified and unfeasible. Due to the lengthy construction process, the operational life of the gas-fired power plant and supporting infrastructure would be limited to just a few years before full decarbonization by 2050.

They called on the Government to abandon the agreement with the company and focus on sustainable investments that ensure long-term energy security, reduce costs for citizens, and align with European climate policies.