Citizens and associations determined to defend the Ratajka river
Citizens’ Association Polekol has submitted a request to the Ministry of Mining and Energy (MRE) for the cancellation of the energy permit issued to the company Power IT from Subotica, which was granted illegally. The decision was made despite the Law on Energy, which clearly stipulates that a new procedure for issuing an energy permit can be initiated only if the possibility of extending the validity of the previous permit has been previously used. The company did not take advantage of this opportunity, and its previous request was rejected by the conclusion of the MRE last year, which legally ended any further story about this mini hydropower plant (MHE).
Instead of rejecting the new request, the Ministry made an illegal decision, which we demand to be annulled. In parallel with that, the Protect the Prijepolje River Initiative sent a complaint to the Protector of Citizens for an obvious violation of the law, ethical rules and principles of good administration, demanding that the MRE cancel the permit and thereby prevent further consequences that threaten the rights of the citizens of the villages of Ratajska and Ravne.
“At a time when we expect the Ratajska River to be declared a protected natural resource, this illegal permit is an unacceptable surprise. Experts of the Serbian Institute for Nature Protection have discovered numerous protected habitats, including crayfish, fish populations and rare chamois. The presence of these species is more than enough argument for banning the construction of the HPP,” said Damir Bećirbašić from the Protect the Rivers of Prijepolje initiative.
The citizens of Prijepolje, their associations and local initiatives, with the support of Polekol, submitted a petition demanding a ban on the construction of MHE on the territory of the municipality, similar to the decisions already made by many local governments in Serbia. Environmental, economic and social damage from MHPs far outweighs their negligible energy benefits.
“We will fight for this river until the end and we will not give it to anyone! Its destruction would mean the end for us, because water is the basis of our survival and life in this region,” said Radoman Ljujić, a resident of Ratajska.
Chronology of events:
2019. year: Power IT begins the procedure for the construction of the Velika Ploča HPP.
Beginning of 2023: Polekol and citizens’ initiatives submit a request for the protection of the catchment area of the Ratajska river. The Institute for Nature Protection begins research.
Mid-2023: MRE rejects the request for the extension of the energy license.
September 2024: Polekol submits a request for the cancellation of the new energy license and a petition for a ban on the construction of MHE in the municipality of Prijepolje.
November 2024: Illegal decision of the Ministry on the re-issuance of the license was discovered.
Previous examples of MHE, such as on the Gračanica River in the Kamena Gora PIO, show catastrophic consequences – the complete destruction of biodiversity and the loss of all benefits of the ecosystem. Citizens of the municipality of Prijepolje point out that the construction of the HPP on the Ratajska River would destroy their only source of water, leaving 80% of the population without basic living conditions.