By: Valentina Galović and Sanja Vasković
cover photo: Tijana Jevtić
Although the residents of Vardište successfully prevented the construction of a mini hydropower plant planned by a Croatian investor on their river, they were unable to stop this project by domestic investors. After the Government of Republika Srpska issued a concession in 2017, construction of this mini hydropower plant was completed in 2021, when it was also put into operation.
During the construction of the mini hydropower plant, significant damage was done to the road passing right next to households. The contractor promised to repair the damage and “improve the road beyond its pre-construction state.”
The investor is the company “ENERGREEN” LLC Višegrad, which was established just a year before applying for the concession.
According to data from Akta.ba, the ownership structure lists Alenka Kosorić, “ELNOS HYDRO” LLC Banja Luka, and Mladen Elez. It’s noteworthy that immediately after the construction of the mini hydropower plant, the Government of RS issued a Decision approving a change in the ownership structure of the concessionaire “ENERGREEN” LLC Višegrad, through which Nenad Marković transferred a portion of his ownership share of 25% to “ELNOS” and Mladen Elez.
Interestingly, during discussions with residents about road repairs, a member of the RS Ministry of Internal Affairs, Siniša Kosorić, appeared, who has held high positions in this institution for years.
Namely, since as an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs he should not engage in private business, Kosorić registered the company in his wife’s name, mentioned Alenka Kosorić, who is officially listed as the company’s director.
Alenka admitted to SPIN Info that her husband is mostly present on behalf of the company.
“Of course, my husband has been involved from the very beginning,” Alenka said.
That this person is just a name on paper was confirmed by Vojkan Krstić, one of the residents who spoke to SPIN Info.
“I am convinced that she doesn’t even know what a hydroelectric plant is, she works with medicines,” Vojkan told Spin Info, referring to the role and influence of her husband.
“He has power, I don’t know who stands behind him, but the man has power. He used gravel from the river without any permit, loaded it onto his trucks, and transported it to the hydroelectric plant.”
In addition, residents claim that permits for the construction of this mini hydropower plant were obtained secretly, as they learned about its construction late and could not influence preventing the operation of the mini hydropower plant.
Offered Money to Residents Not to Protest
Residents have been waiting for three years for the road repairs, which is the investor’s obligation.
“After we agreed on repairing the road, Siniša took me aside and offered me money. I returned to the residents and told him to tell everyone what he had offered me, and he really repeated it. At that moment, I said that all of us residents agreed that there was no need to individually chase anyone and offer money, but instead, to use that money to build a playground for the children. All the residents laughed at that reaction,” Krstić told our portal.
In addition, at Krstić’s initiative, in May of this year, the Department of Inspection Affairs of the Municipality of Višegrad went to the field to assess the road damage. In the official report, it was stated that the co-investor and director of “ENERGREEN,” Alenka Kosorić, committed to repairing the road within the next two months. Interestingly, the municipal inspection noted that urban planning and construction inspector Gordana Mojević, department head Milica Staničić, and Siniša Kosorić were present, without specifying their role.
Deadline Approaches – Road Not Repaired
In an interview with Spin Info, Alenka stated that they would expedite the process and that the road would be repaired by August 15.
She explained that they were waiting for the announced rains.
Alenka clarified that there are three owners who must agree for the road repair to be executed, but, as she said, it’s not that the other two owners disagree, they simply haven’t reached an agreement yet. Despite the firm having three co-owners, no registered workers have been reported since its founding.
“We’re not avoiding it, we’ll solve it. I know residents are worried, the repair will definitely happen, 100%,” said Alenka.
When we managed to reach Siniša Kosorić after several calls, he briefly said he wouldn’t talk and hung up.
Furthermore, one of the co-owners of this company is the mentioned Mladen Elez. This name appears as the director of “SIMING TRADE” Ltd. Foča, known for constructing mHE in this municipality. As previously reported by the media, the Public Procurement Agency once drew attention to harmful contracts concluded with this company in the Foča municipality. In addition, the head of the Department for Economy and Social Activities in this municipality, Olivera Elez, is a co-owner of “SIMING TRADE,” prompting the Republic’s Administrative Inspection to conduct an investigation into the compatibility of her official duties.
As our portal revealed back in 2022, Olivera Elez, a permanent court expert in the construction, prepared an investment assessment report for one of the mHEs on the Kasindolska River in Istočno Sarajevo and was also part of the ownership structure of “SIMING Trade” Ltd., the contractor, and site manager.
Only 3.6% of the gross revenue from this mHE will be deposited into the budget of Republika Srpska, while the environmental damage, including the multiple impacts on the natural environment and the road’s devastation in this case, is significant. Needless to mention the suspicious investors.
