In Konjic, eco-activists protest against the construction of the Ulog hydropower plant

(Patria) - Citizens and eco-activists gathered today in Konjic to protest the construction of the Ulog hydropower plant (HP) in the RS entity.

The construction of this hydropower plant threatens the upper course of the Neretva River, in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- Consequences for the river and wildlife are already apparent. But this is not the only threat to the survival of the Neretva and its tributaries.

If we do not act immediately, another 36 hydropower plants will be built in the basin of the Herzegovinian beauty - warned the organizers of the protest.

They demand an immediate halt to the construction of the Ulog HP, the cessation of the implementation of other energy projects on this river, and legal protection for the natural values of the Neretva basin.

The concession for the construction of the Ulog HP was granted in 2009 to the company EFT, owned by Vuk Hamović.

Work officially began in 2010 but was halted due to complications and difficult terrain.

EFT confirmed in October to Radio Slobodna Evropa that they have all the building permits and that the work is in the final stages.

The investment is estimated at 70 million euros. The contractor is the Chinese company Sinohydro Corporation Limited, which is under US sanctions for business in Iran.

The European Investment Bank has suspended its project financing for one year since August 2023 due to lack of transparency and questionable business practices.

Environmentalists have documented river turbidity downstream from the Ulog HP site, as well as fish kills.

The Center for the Environment informed the RS Inspectorate about this in an urgent letter on September 28.

- Certain consequences of the Neretva's turbidity were visible, that huge pollution is visible. It happens at intervals.

Nothing can guarantee us that it will not happen again in ten days or in half a year.

Photo: Radio Slobodna Evropa

And furthermore, what we are warning about is that there will be even greater consequences when the power plant itself is built - says Vladimir Topić from the Center for the Environment.

They have asked the authorities in the RS to declare the upper course of the Neretva a protected area, in order to preserve habitats and valuable species.

- Already, we have more than 1,300 species in the upper course of the Neretva River and its valley, with the assumption that preliminary results already show that this number will go up to 2,000.

Based on this alone, we can say that it is one of the most valuable areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina in terms of biodiversity - states Topić.

Inspectors visited the site in October. They claim that they did not notice anything problematic in the river and that the fish population is in good health, and that the water is exceptionally clean.

At the same time, the Government of the FBiH has asked the Council of Ministers to protect the interests of this entity from the consequences of the construction of the Ulog HP.

They emphasize that they were not included in the procedure, and that extensive geological, geotechnical, and hydrological studies have not been carried out.

An increase in algae has been recorded on Jablanica Lake, about ten kilometers downstream from Konjic, which causes a decrease in oxygen levels and the extinction of animal species.

The cause is pollution from municipal and industrial wastewater, according to the competent agency.

Bosnian and Herzegovinian rivers are dammed by more than 120 small hydropower plants.

Despite years of struggle by activists and residents, about 350 more are planned or under construction.

The share of hydropower plants in the total electricity production is below three percent.