Mervar: Energy sector is the biggest development opportunity for BiH!

BiH's energy potential is its greatest asset and opportunity for development; if you know how to manage it, you have no worries about the future, stated Aleksander Mervar, director of "Elektro Slovenija", the state-owned electricity transmission company of this European Union member state, in an exclusive interview for the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

- BiH's hydropower potential is significant, but nothing has been done in the last eight years. You are one of the few countries in Europe that has space and opportunities to build hydroelectric power plants and thus solve the issue of mandatory renewable energy sources. In addition, you also have coal, which gives you the opportunity for further expansion – says Mervar.

This Slovenian expert and businessman has been connected to BiH for years. He worked within the "Istrabenz" group, and even now, as the head of the Slovenian umbrella electricity company, he cooperates with the BiH energy sector. At the beginning of the catastrophic floods in BiH, his company immediately donated 100,000 marks to help BiH citizens.

- What I saw truly affected me, and I wish your people a speedy recovery from such a catastrophe – says Mervar, who had a series of meetings with officials and businessmen in BiH yesterday in Sarajevo.  

According to him, the energy system in BiH is complicated, especially in terms of regulation, and further divided due to the structure of government.

- I first need to understand the government structure in BiH. This division can be a problem when planning investments. In your country, as in ours in Slovenia, there is no real state-level energy strategy; without it, it is not excluded that some investments may prove unsuccessful – says Mervar.

Regarding previous problems with the operation of Elektroprijenos BiH, he emphasizes that establishing the transmission system is the most important segment.

- A stable and functional transmission system is the most important, because if it doesn't exist, producing electricity is useless. I know that not much has been invested in this here – he adds. When asked about the political situation in Slovenia, Mervar says it is a difficult situation resulting from the crisis and wrong decisions made recently.

- Compromises were made that yielded no results, and this crisis then spills over to parties and elections. I was a member of parties and said I would no longer be, but I will help any party that is open to people. People in Slovenia are looking for new options. Statistics are one thing, and the real situation is another. Life in Slovenia is becoming increasingly difficult. We had a significant increase in living standards from 1992 to 2007. We had a low unemployment rate, favorable loans, but prices also went up. Now we are facing the consequences – concludes Mervar for NAP.