The residents of Gornja Brezna, gathered in the Civic Initiative (CI) “Save Brezna”, will block the Nikšić – Šćepan Polje main road for one hour on Sunday, June 29th, at one minute to noon, at the turnoff for the village of Brezna. The reason, they say, is the state's and the state energy company CGES's intention to build an international energy hub in their village, which would mean the destruction of the settlement.

As they stated, the construction of such an energy giant would not be possible in the center of a populated area anywhere in the civilized world.

“For two months now we have been fighting and trying, through every possible institutional channel, to alert decision-makers to the dramatic danger facing the numerous local community in Brezna, if the state and CGES persist in their plan to build a 400kV substation in the center of our village, then connect numerous high-voltage power lines to it, and establish an international energy hub. This would mean silent genocide, as many residents of this village would have to move away to preserve their lives and health, abandoning their ancestral homes. The expansion of eco-tourism in Brezna would be halted, and the market value of houses, tourist facilities, and properties would drop to zero,” stated CI “Save Brezna”.

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They remind that through numerous appeals and addresses to the highest officials of Montenegro, they pointed out that all their human and civil rights had been brutally violated, that the laws and Constitution of Montenegro, as well as international conventions signed by the state, had been broken, and that they had no opportunity to participate in the creation of plans that directly affect their future.

“We reiterate that we have already informed the public that the Montenegrin company CGES, in the project documentation based on which it received a €28 million loan from the EBRD for this project, stated that there are no houses or commercial buildings within a 2 km radius of the planned location of the future 400kV substation. This document is publicly available on the official EBRD website. The truth is that the nearest houses are only a few hundred meters from the planned 400kV substation, and that within a 2 km radius there are at least 100 houses and tourist facilities. CGES has not explained how and why this false information ended up in the project documentation, but they have called us ‘enemies of the state’ and tried to intimidate us with lawsuits, which we eagerly await,” say the residents of Brezna.

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They also remind of what they call an assault on their land by the private wind farm investor “Bijela”, the company Alcasar Energy, when surveyors from this company entered private property in Gornja Brezna without authorization or the knowledge of the landowners to measure where to place their transmission lines.

“Our information indicates that people and companies close to the former regime in the energy sector in Montenegro are behind Alcasar Energy,” the statement says.

They point out that Gornja Brezna is a very lively and populous local community, and likely the only village in Montenegro where young people and families with small children are moving in—both those returning to family land and those buying property and building tourist facilities. Among them are, they add, citizens of the United Kingdom and Australia.

“Instead of the state and local government recognizing the enormous potential for sustainable tourism and supporting young people who see their future here—by providing grants and interest-free loans, and considering reopening the school in Brezna—they are making plans to displace us all. We are implementing the strategic policy of the state of Montenegro for the development of eco-tourism and the return to the north and to the countryside, while our state is sending us the message that we do not exist,” the residents say.

They add that they are aware this is a David and Goliath struggle, and that on the other side stands capital measured in hundreds of millions of euros and many interests—not concern for state interests. They say there are many locations in the municipalities of Plužine or Šavnik where this energy hub could be built with minimal impact on the environment and human settlements.

“We also fear for our safety because we’ve stepped into a hornet’s nest. They are trying to intimidate and stop us. We have informed the relevant institutions in Montenegro, as well as international actors, about our concerns,” the residents conclude.