Why is Wyman so important?

“Wyman” is the week's theme in Serbia, along with dramatic warnings from Serbian authorities and the bulevardesque newspapers, under which an arbitrary takeover of energy and strategic facilities in northern Kosovo is being prepared. Since the NATO units' intervention, for the first time at the bottom of the access roads in the lake and the Uyman hydropower plant is looking a small number of KFOR soldiers with argument, that these are “planned and regular (1)x3>.

Serbian authorities, due to these developments in Kosovo, held an urgent meeting of the National Security Council, from which the opposition of some clerics were accused, as well as <x0) foreign bodies of spreading rumors about possible incidents in Kosovo, which make Serbia's negotiating position with Kosovo difficult, the DW reports.

The chief of the office for Kosovo in Serbia's government, Marko Djurovic, made a similar statement the following day, when he stressed that for Serbia, the red energy line is at Trepca, in the Ujman hydropower plant and the Valac trafo-station.

Weiman is often mentioned by Pristina authorities, who want to link him to the Kosovo energy system. The lake, as well as the hydropower plant, along with Valaic's trafo-station, are the main sources of energy in northern Kosovo and owned by Serbia's State Energy Company. Weiman, according to estimates, totals up to tenm euros per year for maintenance.

The part of the connecting system between the Iber-Lepenc rivers is a vital system for all of Kosovo, starting with water supply for irrigation, as well as the cooling of the thermo-central power plant “of Obilicik”. If the faucet were closed on one side, virtually the entire Kosovo energy system would be paralyzed.

In June, the Albanian side in preparation for technical dialogue insisted on implementing the Energy Agreement, while the Serb side forced them to establish the Serb Communist Community. And if energy is like the most important issue, then Weiman is a key part of solving this mystery.

With Economic and National Interest

magazine deputy editor “Novosti” Mijat Lakicevich says that “Wyman is of high economic and national interest. From this lake one-third is on Serbia's territory and two-thirds north of Kosovo. Most importantly, rivers filling the lake come from Serbia, which supply a hydropower plant that complements about half of electricity consumption throughout Kosovo”.

Lakicevic for the DW explains, the issue is more complicated than reportedly, that the government just wants to take advantage of this additional source “the additional problem is that the plant is done with a World Bank loan taken and paid by Serbia. The situation is complicated because Kosovo on the one hand is right about this, because the hydropower plant is located in Kosovo, and on the other hand, Serbia is still right because it has invested and paid the loan for it”.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq says the smoke for an energy deal is a next mistake, as such an agreement does not exist at all, according to him. He claims that the purpose of this maneuver is <x0/secration” northern Kosovo. Vuciqi also says, Pristina authorities have had the bid for joint management, but it has been rejected by them.

If we see the deal reached in Brussels, strong lines have been established in the energy sector. This underscores the need to apply EU legislation, as well as the creation of a new energy company to supply consumers.

But as with everything else negotiated between Belgrade and Pristina, each party interprets these different conditions in its own way. Serbia considers that because of the location of the cited sources it should be managed by the future Union of Serbian municipalities and that this is in line with EU regulations. The Albanian side estimates that these resources are Kosovo's property and that they must be managed by Kosovo.

The complicated energy package

Theoretically Serbia can change Ujman's lake, water in the lake is collected mainly from the Iber River, simply with the change of direction from this river not being poured into the lake, says Mijat Lakicevich. The lake would in that case be left without water and Kosovo without electricity. But in this way all of this could jeopardise the security of Serbs, who could be victims of revenge”.

According to our co-directors, Kosovo Serbs working in hydrodocentrals but do not benefit from the work done, it would be because the revenues will be obtained from Kosovo's State Energy Company. The “So here will now have to find a solution, because if the hydropower plant is run by someone deployed in Pristina, it could be used to neglect the interests of the Serbian community”, Lakicevic notes.

Weuman remains not only a controversial point about these facts but also about the problems it brings to power supply in Trepca mining complexes, which practically doesn't work. An additional argument for the final solution of this problem is the lack of electricity in Kosovo, consumers exploit the chaotic situation. So the problem with energy can eventually only be solved in a full package.

Looking at all of this and seeing the negotiations neglected and uncompetitive between Belgrade and Pristina, where the agreement only has no agreement -- it is clear that it will be difficult to reach a final solution to energy. “I think it will be difficult to reach only a permanent agreement on energy, but a solution will only be there if there is a comprehensive agreement between Kosovo and Serbia”, Lakicevic said.

The Lake of Uyman is an example of how each economic issue is politicised and then used for domestic politics. If there is something positive about all the nervousness and alarm about Wyman, then there is the fact that this problem has involved all public opinion and that attention has been placed on the complexity of the energy situation in Kosovo.