EPCG's 9-mth Profit Falls 25 pct on Lower Hydro

Montenegro's power utility EPCG said on Monday its nine-month profit fell by a quarter to 18.2 million euros ($22.75 million), weighed down by lower hydro power generation.

Hydro power output at EPCG, in which Italy's A2A holds a 41.7 percent stake, declined 42 percent to 1,138 gigawatt-hours (GWh), its spokesman said. Power generation at its coal-fired plants rose 7 percent to 1,000 GWh.

EPCG's revenues fell 15.2 percent to 175.6 million euros, while operating costs fell 5.3 percent to 161.9 million.

Montenegro's government holds a 57 percent stake in EPCG and small shareholders own the remainder.

(Reporting by Maja Zuvela in Sarajevo; editing by Jason Neely)