In a story that sounds almost too Kafkaesque to be true, Montenegro’s oldest hydropower plant, HE Perućica, has finally received its official operating permit—65 years after going into service.
Built on a 1953 construction license and running non-stop since, the plant has been a pillar of the national energy grid, if not of bureaucratic punctuality.
The Electric Power Company of Montenegro (EPCG) announced the belated approval with a touch of irony, noting that “six and a half decades is but a moment in the life of a hydropower plant.”
The process required navigating through layers of outdated regulations—some dating back to 1952—and drawings originally inked with rulers and drafting pens.
EPCG praised its engineers, legal teams, and production units for their persistence, calling the permit more than a formality: it’s a legal safeguard for future operations and licensing.
For decades, Perućica powered Montenegro without the proper paperwork. Now, it finally has both the electricity and the endorsement.
