Podgorica, (MINA-BUSINESS) – According to Chairman of the Board of Directors of Elektroprivreda (EPCG) Milutin Djukanovic, Montenegro has the ambition to become a producer, partner, and energy hub of the region, rather than just a point on the transit map.

He participated in the international Energy, Infrastructure & Industrial Security Forum, dedicated to energy, infrastructure, industrial security, and strengthening regional cooperation among the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans.

The forum brought together representatives of governments, diplomatic corps, energy companies, financial institutions, and business associations to discuss new models of energy connectivity, supply security, infrastructure development, and the consolidation of regional markets.

Ahead of today’s working sessions, a reception for forum participants was organized last night at the Embassy of Italy in Belgrade. On that occasion, Djukanovic met with the Italian ambassador to Serbia, Luca Gori, with whom he discussed the importance of energy interconnection between Montenegro and Italy, the role of the submarine cable, and opportunities for further improving cooperation in the energy sector.

The forum was opened by the Prime Minister of Serbia, further confirming the importance of the event as a regional platform for discussions on the future of energy, infrastructure, and industrial security.

Djukanovic participated in the first panel titled “Adriatic – Black Sea – Central Asia Corridor: Energy Integration, Oil &Gas, and Consolidation of Regional Markets.”

He stated that energy corridors today should not be viewed merely as transit routes, but as integrated energy platforms connecting production, infrastructure, energy storage, investments, and markets. 

“Montenegro does not want to be just a point on the transit map. Our ambition is to be a producer, partner, and energy hub of the region. The submarine cable between Montenegro and Italy represents strategic infrastructure that directly connects our country with the European electricity market, and the construction of another cable would further strengthen Montenegro’s position as the energy hub of the Western Balkans,” Djukanovic said.

He added that an energy hub is not built solely through interconnections, but also through new production capacities, system flexibility, energy storage, and serious international partnerships.