Construction of mini hydro power plants in protected areas to be banned, those already built not to be torn down

The amendments to the Law on Protection of Nature, which will soon enter the usual procedure, will ban the construction of mini hydro power plants in protected areas, with no one standing to lose anything, as the MHPPs already built in such locations will not be torn down, Serbian Environment Minister Goran Trivan said today.

He emphasized that all MHPPs in protected areas needed to operate in line with the regulations.

– MHPPs of the derivation type are harmful, especially considering the way some of them were built – the minister said following the gathering titled “Citizens Launch the City of the Future”.

He adds that the ministry's position has always been that this type of MHPP cannot be built in protected areas and that the public discussion has shown that the citizens and the experts are right.

– A consensus has been reached. Of course, there are those that disagree, but you can't argue with the facts – Trivan said and added that he had visited some derivation MHPPs and that there were studies and photographs.

He explained that construction mustn't jeopardize the environment, especially in protected areas.

– The Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Environmental Protection offer to anyone who might have obtained a permit for construction in protected areas to exchange those locations for others outside protected areas – Trivan said.

Ministarstvo zaštite životne sredine Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo rudarstva i energetike Republike Srbije

Ministry of Environmental Protection

Ministry of Energy

Goran Trivan

Law on Protection of Nature

construction of mini hydro power plants

ban on construction of mini hydro power plants

mini hydro power plants of derivation type

gathering Citizens Launch the City of the Future