Montenegro’s state power utility EPCG has returned 190 MW of capacity at the Perućica hydropower plant to operation following the main phase of its annual maintenance programme. The restart brings the plant back with four units currently operating: A1, A2, A6 and A7. The remaining three units are expected to return around mid-September.
Maintenance timeline and unit restart schedule
Repairs are continuing on the needle-valve servomotor of unit A4, which is delaying refilling of the second penstock. That work is also affecting the timing of the restart of units A3, A4 and A5. The annual overhaul was initially planned as a full shutdown during August.
The plant was drained at the end of July, but EPCG later changed the schedule after the Pljevlja thermal power plant went offline and national electricity supply conditions tightened. Perućica was temporarily restarted before all maintenance work was completed, resulting in a full shutdown lasting just over two weeks during the second half of August.
Generation performance and reservoir levels
Before the maintenance period, the plant had generated 610,800 MWh. Strong output during the first quarter kept cumulative generation above plan despite the summer overhaul. Reservoirs supplying Perućica are around 40% full.
EPCG aims to return all seven units to operation by mid-September, restoring one of Montenegro’s main sources of flexible domestic generation.
