Just a few years ago, the Ivovik wind park was announced to the media in Bosnia and Herzegovina as an investment by Chinese state-owned companies that would pave the way for the energy transformation of the country, promising to rejuvenate local infrastructure and bolster local budgets.
It was also projected to be operational by mid-2023. However, to date, none of these promises have been fulfilled. The wind park has not bolstered local budgets, Bosnia and Herzegovina has not undergone an energy transformation, and the local population remains dissatisfied.
The locals are seeking what is theirs through the court, while Livno is eagerly anticipating income.
“The City of Livno anticipates revenue from concession fees, monthly income from produced and sold electricity from turbines on the territory of city/municipality Livno, fees for access roads within the city/municipality Livno, and one-time fees per pole located within the area of the City of Livno”, read the response of the City of Livno.
No permission to connect
Liu Jiachen, Assistant General Manager and Director of the Engineering Department, announced on the Federation News Agency back in 2022 that the 130 million euro wind farm would be completed by mid-2023.
WP Ivovik was heralded as the largest investment in renewable energy sources in BiH to date. It was prominently mentioned during the China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Summit in 2021 as a testament to the collaboration between China and Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, just two years later, no local government officials are currently boasting about the project.
Furthermore, the turbines at Ivovik have not yet been activated.
On the Elektroprijenos website, it is clear that Ivovik does not yet have approval for connection to the grid, but the description states that the user has received changes in.
“The Ivovik wind park has received preliminary consent from Elektroprijenos BiH for connection to the grid. You can download “Register of submitted requests of users for connection to the transmission network” from our website www.elprenos.ba. This register provides updated information including submission dates of requests and issuance of necessary documents. The Ivovik wind farm is specifically listed under number 32 in the Register of submitted requests of users for connection to the 110 kV, 220 kV, and 400 kV transmission network”, said Jovana Mirković, spokesperson of Elektroprijenos BiH.
When asked for additional clarification, she said that Elektroprijenos BiH has provided the user WP Ivovik d.o.o. with the conditions for connection of the WP Ivovik to the transmission network, which the user accepted.
“After that, WP Ivovik d.o.o. and Elektroprijenos BiH entered into an Agreement for the connection of the Ivovik wind park to the transmission network. According to the procedure outlined in the Rulebook on Connection (Official Gazette of BiH, numbers: 95/08, 79/10, 60/12, and 83/17), the next step is the issuance of the Connection Permit. Article 24 of the Rulebook specifies that the Connection Permit is issued upon the User’s request, which should include the following documents: a Construction Permit for the wind park, a Construction Permit for the connection, a Use Permit for the wind park, and a Use Permit for the connection. However, WP Ivovik d.o.o. did not submit a request for the issuance of a Connection Permit for the Ivovik wind park”, said Mirković.
Clash of interests
According to information obtained by Hercegovina.info from reliable sources, following a site visit, the Chinese developers received objections that they must address in accordance with the approved project documentation. They are currently working on resolving these issues and are hoping to get onto the grid by this summer, at least as far as Elektroprijenos is concerned.
However, another complication has arisen. Unexpected resistance has surfaced in Livno. The local government in Livno has found itself entangled in geopolitical tensions, caught between two opposing forces: a party advocating for Chinese involvement and the West, which seeks to limit their presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Russia and China were also a focal point of the G7 Group meeting in Italy, particularly regarding China’s support for Moscow. External pressure on Chinese projects is also evident in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Therefore, alongside the Elektroprijenos situation, there are additional challenges. These include securing the use permit for the connection substation and transmission line, which is hindering progress for the City, as well as unresolved issues related to land ownership.
The municipal court in Livno handles disputes involving Chinese companies
The third hurdle to activation of turbines is the resistance of local residents.
“Residents of Livno claiming ownership of land in the Ivovik area, within the cadastral municipality of Dobro, have approached the local government about their claims. Steps have been taken in collaboration with the Municipal Court in Livno, which handles ownership disputes, to address and resolve this issue”, said from the city of Livno.
Therefore, the landowners have embarked on prolonged and distressing disputes. They are in conflict with Ivovik, alleging that their land was unlawfully taken. Interestingly, Ivovik Wind Park disregarded our inquiry regarding the delay in opening the wind park.
Initially, they instructed us to submit our inquiry via email, which we did on May 13 of this year. However, even after a month, they have not responded to our questions. These questions include inquiries about the anticipated operational start date of the wind part, the status of Elektroprijenos’ final approval for grid connection, what modifications were requested from them as investors to secure grid connectivity, and whether any meetings have been held with local residents protesting about land issues, and what were the conclusions of these meetings.
Let us remind you that the Chinese entered Herzegovina via the highway and have since made multi-million investments in Livno.
