The Commercial Court partially accepted the claim of BB Hidro, a company from Podgorica, in its lawsuit against the Government of Montenegro regarding the termination of the concession agreement for the construction of the Slatina small hydropower plant (mHE) on the Slatina river.
This is a first-instance ruling, according to which the state is obligated to compensate BB Hidro for the termination of the concession agreement.
“The Commercial Court issued a first-instance ruling in the case of BB Hidro versus Montenegro, confirming the termination of the concession agreement based on the energy permit for the construction of the Slatina mHE, concluded between the Government representatives and the company,” the court stated.
The court partially accepted BB Hidro’s claim, ordering the state to pay a compensation of 155,600 EUR for ordinary damages, along with interest accrued since April 1 of the previous year, and an additional amount of 70,600 EUR to be paid within eight days from the final ruling.
The court clarified that the remaining portion of the claim, regarding additional damages exceeding the awarded amount of 155,600 EUR (up to the requested 168,500 EUR) and the statutory interest of 12,900 EUR, was rejected as unfounded.
Additionally, BB Hidro’s request for compensation of lost profits amounting to 1.4 million EUR was also dismissed.
According to the same ruling, BB Hidro is also obligated to pay the state 10,650 EUR for the costs of the procedure, no later than eight days after the final ruling.
The court emphasized that the ruling is not final, and both parties have the right to appeal to the Appellate Court.
