The village of Vuthaj/Vusanje in the Municipality of Plav in Republic of Montenegro, the livelihood of its inhabitants and the ecological value of the pristine mountain and valley area are in great danger.  A power plant project to tame the river passing through this village has been tendered by the state of Montenegro and won by companies ECG Male Elektrane of Podgorica, Montenegro and Energy Eastern European Hydro Power GmbH of Judensburg, Austria against and independently from the will of the local residents. This 2 megawatt power plant is called a mini-power plant, but it will affect the lives of all the people living in this village and using this river water as drinking water as well as for irrigation, food production and for livestock – as they have done for centuries. This power plant will make the life of the village impossible and may force the residents to emigrate! The river Gerla/Grlji is the live vein of the village and SHOULD NOT BE TAMED FOR HYDROPOWER. The human and ecological costs of such a project are much greater than the economic gains of a mini hydropower plant. This plan has been made at a central governmental level without taking into account the local reality and the disputable gains of such a project will not benefit this village. The process of granting a tender for this power plant has been wrong and corrupted from the beginning simply because the local voice has not been heard in a matter which directly affects the life of each resident in the village. Local residents have not been consulted in a timely and orderly manner. Some hearings of the local community have been held but so very late that unified opposition had no time to galvanize. Whoever signed any agreement in the name of the village accepting such plan did not have the mandate of the local population to represent it. They used the opportunity for their own benefit without informing their fellow residents. They have had neither right nor mandate to act on behalf of the village. In addition, a number of landowners of the village work and reside outside the village but have their houses in the village and come there regularly to pass weekends and holidays. These landowners were not consulted nor informed of the project. Despite the hearing of the local residents that was organized in 21 October 2011 which clearly showed solid and unanimous opposition to the project, the project has moved forward. The Municipality of Plav issued the decision on the work permit for the Mini Hydro Power Plant as early as 10 August 2011. (The decision in question bears protocol number 01-64/71). This is against all international standards including the Aarhus convention on hearing of local residents. The tender should have been cancelled immediately as the hearing took place and the opposition was known by the parties of the agreement. The village of Vuthaj/Vusanje has a unique ethnic structure inside the state of Montenegro. In fact, it is the only 100% Albanian inhabited village in Montenegro. It is situated in the protected area of the National Park of Prokletije. However, when declaring Prokletije as a National Park the state of Montenegro decided to exclude the river Gerla/Grlji from the National Park (sic!), which was a “curious” decision, taking into account the unique position of the river and the natural spring it is linked to right at the bottom of the Prokletije mountains. It is the life vein connecting the mountains to the valley and its residents. The local inhabitants cannot live without a free river Gerla/Grlji. A great number of the landowners of the village live abroad, but use their houses in the summertime for holiday purposes. In the summertime the number of the residents of the village multiplies. However the village does not have access to a municipal water system, but its natural source and the river Gerla are the sources of clean drinking water for the village population. Thus the free flow of the river is a necessity for the survival of the village and also in the future it is crucial to save the ecological values of the village and promote ecotourism in the region. This village has been a center of attention for a UK based charity the Balkan Peace Park Project. See http://balkanspeacepark.org/; they have promoted the inspiration of the Prokletije National Park. In addition, the diaspora members of this region of the municipality of Plav have established a Foundation called Fondacioni Plav et Guci (the Plave-Guci Foundation) in the United States to promote sustainable development in the region. This non-for-profit organization is based on US legislation and operates in New York. It brings together immigrants with their roots in the Plave-Guci region and collects money to support the region and its development. The Foundation has raised its voice against this power plant project. A network of Friends of Vuthaj – foreigners, businessmen and civil society representatives originally from Vuthaj but currently working abroad in Pristina, Tirana and New York have mobilized themselves to oppose this power plant. The Albanian parties in Montenegro have united in raising their voices against the power plant by organizing protests. These Albanian Parties are "Lidhja Demokratike e Shqiptareve në Mal të Zi" (The Albanian Democratic League in Montenegro), "UNIONI Demoktratik i Shqiptarëve" (UDSH) (The Democratic Union of Albanians), and "Forca e Re Demokratike"  (New Democratic Power - Forca). THIS MINI HYDROPOWER PLANT PROJECT NEEDS TO BE STOPPED AND THE TENDER CANCELLED FIRST FOR HUMANITARIAN REASONS, BECAUSE IT JEAOPARDIZES THE LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS OF THE ALBANIAN MINORITY VILLAGE IN MONTENEGRO. ON ITS WAY TO THE EUROPEAN UNION MONTENEGRO CANNOT DISREGARD THE WILL OF the LOCAL POPULATION ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS QUESTION a OF A VULNERABLE NATIONAL MINORITY; SECONDLY BECAUSE THE TENDER PROCESS HAS TAKEN PLACE WITHOUT PROPER CONSULTATION AND AGAINST THE WILL OF THE LOCAL POPULATION THUS VIOLATING THE AARHUS CONVENTION, THE UNITED NATIONS (UNECE) CONVENTION ON ACCESS TO INFORMATION, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN DECISION MAKING AND ACCESS TO JUSTICE IN ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS; MONTENEGRO AND AUSTRIA HAVE BOTH ACCESSED THIS CONVENTION; THIRD FOR ECOLOGICAL REASONS TO PROTECT THE PRISTINE NATURE OF VUTHAJ/VUSANJE. Briefly in Albanian:   Fshati Vuthaj në Komunën e Plavës në Republikën e Malit të Zi, elementi jetik për banorët e tij dhe vlera ekologjike zonës së virgjër e të paprekur malore është në rrezik të madh. Një impiant  energjitik për shfrytëzuar rrjedhën e këtij lumi që kalon përmes fshatit është tenderuar nga shteti i Malit të Zi dhe, kundër dhe pavarësisht nga dëshira e banorëve vendas. Ky impiant energjitik prej 2 megavat-ësh është quajtur një mini-impiant energjitik, por ai do të ndikojë në jetën e banorëve të fshatit dhe në përdorimin e ujit të lumit si ujë i pijshëm si dhe për të gjitha qëllimet e tjera përfshi këtu por pa u kufizuar në vaditjen e kopshteve për prodhime bujqësore dhe ujë për bagëtitë – sikurse qe e kanë përdorur per shekuj. Ky impianti energjitik do t’a bëjë jetën e fshatit të pamundur dhe mund t’i nxis banorët drejt një migrimi dhe/ose emigrimi të detyruar!     Ky lum Gerla është arteria jetësore e fshatit dhe NUK DUHET SHFRYTËZUAR PËR HIDROENERGJI. Kostoja njerëzore dhe ekologjike e një projekti të tillë është shumë më e shtrenjtë sesa fitimet ekonomike të një mini-impianti energjitik. Ky planifikim  është bërë në nivelin e qeverisë qëndrore pa marrë parasysh realitetin lokal dhe fitimet e diskutueshme të një projekti të tillë nuk do të përdoren në interest të këtij fshati. Procesi i dhënies së tenderit për këtë impiant ka qenë i gabuar dhe i korruptuar që në fillim për faktin e thjeshtë se zëri lokal nuk është dëgjuar për një çështje që prek në mënyrë të drejtpërdrejtë jetën e çdo banori të fshatit që e përdor këtë lum për ujë të pijshëm. KY PROJEKT PËR MINI-IMPIANT HIDROENERGJITIK DUHET NDALUR DHE TENDERI DUHET ANULLUAR.