Croatian Inspectorate bans construction of hydropower plant on the Una River

(Patria) - The Nature Protection Inspectorate of the State Inspectorate initiated administrative proceedings against the investor of the hydropower plant on the Una River, issuing a decision prohibiting the investor from carrying out actions and works on the construction of a small hydropower plant, with a capacity of 160 kW, "Una-mlin" in the area of the Natura 2000 ecological network, which are being carried out without a conducted acceptability assessment for the ecological network area.

As Croatian media report, the State Inspectorate of Croatia stated that during the conduct of the investigative procedure, the Nature Protection Inspectorate of the State Inspectorate requested an opinion from the Institute for Environment and Nature of the Ministry of Environment and Green Transition, as the expert-analytical body for nature protection affairs in the Republic of Croatia, in order to determine whether the subject intervention on the construction of the small hydropower plant, with a capacity of 160 kW, "Una mlin", damaged the habitats of the native species population and whether a harmful consequence for nature was caused.

"Following the request of the Nature Protection Inspectorate of the State Inspectorate, the Institute for Environment and Nature submitted to the State Inspectorate a report stating that the carried-out works had a harmful impact on nature, and which also states that further negative impact of the intervention's implementation cannot be excluded, both on the conservation objectives and integrity of the ecological network area and on biodiversity as a whole," concludes the Inspectorate, as reported by Index.

We remind you that residents of Srb and Donja Suvaja, activists, representatives of various civil society associations, and tourists have been peacefully protesting for days against the construction of a small hydropower plant just a few meters from the source of the Una River.