Last pipeline removed from Leshnica — dismantling for Pena 84 and Pena 85 complete

Work to dismantle the pipeline route for two small hydropower projects in the Leshnica Valley on Šar Mountain has been completed, the park authority announced. A few weeks ago crews began removing pipe sections connected to the planned Pena 84 and Pena 85 plants; the National Park confirmed that the final pipe has now been taken out of Leshnica.

Park: route fully cleared after excavation of buried pipes

“Today we can say — the last pipe has been removed from Leshnica. What particularly pleases us is that the activities did not end only with the removal of pipes that had been deposited in the valley for years. The buried pipes were also unearthed and completely taken out of the area. Today there is no remaining pipeline infrastructure along the route, neither above nor below ground. This is an important step toward returning the Leshnica Valley to a state as close to natural as possible and the result of a longer institutional process and coordination with the competent state institutions,” the Šar Mountain National Park said.

The operation removed both the pipes that had been stored in the valley and those that had been previously buried, according to the park’s statement. Park officials described the work as the final phase of restoring the valley after the stalled construction of the two mini-hydropower facilities.

Local environmentalists and authorities have for some time criticised the presence of the pipeline infrastructure in the valley. The park framed the removals as the outcome of inter-institutional coordination and an extended administrative process with state bodies responsible for environmental protection and construction oversight.

With the pipeline route cleared, park managers say the next steps will focus on monitoring the area and beginning measures to help the landscape recover. The park did not provide a precise timeline for ecological restoration work.

Photo: НП