The economic viability of coal is ever decreasing. Without public financial support many coal investments are doomed to fail. Yet several institutions are still willing to finance an energy source that wrecks our climate, damages our health and wastes our money.
To help bring about a world beyond coal, we investigate and promote a socially responsible transition while exposing the economic, legal, social and environmental risks of coal power.
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We provide updates in English from the Balkans and other coal regions.
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Just transition
No one should be left behind when we reconstruct our world into one driven by clean energy. Working on just transition brings all actors who believe in fair regional redevelopment to the same table: unions, industry, public administration, governments, civil society and others sharing this goal.
Coal projects
Kostolac B3 lignite power plant, Serbia
Serbia’s state-owned utility Elektroprivreda Srbije is planning a new 350 MW lignite plant at Kostolac in the country’s north-east. In spite of high level support and Chinese financing, the project is plagued by concerns over pollution, state aid and legal challenges.
Kosova e Re lignite power plant, Kosovo
Kosovo currently wastes much of the electricity it produces in its two highly polluting lignite plants: In 2016, nearly 30 percent was lost from the distribution system through technical losses and non-payment (around half each), and much more is wasted through lack of energy efficiency measures. Yet the Kosovo government, heavily backed by the US government and World Bank, plans to build a new 500 MW lignite plant, Kosova e Re or New Kosovo.
Plomin coal power plant, Croatia
Croatian plans to more than double the capacity of the Plomin coal power plant would have resulted in increased carbon-emissions for several decades. The project’s profitability was questionable and the plans were facing local opposition and conflicting regional legislation.
Latest news
Corporate loans – the rotten apple in EBRD’s Environmental and Social Policy?
Blog entry | 18 April, 2019As the Board of Directors is expected to vote any day now on the renewed Policy which lays out the conditions for reaching the Bank’s sustainability mandate and commitment to EU standards, a compliance review on Serbia’s energy company’s corporate restructuring loan calls for clearer and stronger safeguards for corporate level loans.
Read moreCroatian NGOs file court case to prevent resurrection of Plomin 1 coal plant
Campaign update | 9 April, 2019Zelena akcija/Friends of the Earth Croatia and Green Istria have filed a court case challenging the decision to extend the Plomin 1 coal power plant’s environmental permit, it was announced today.
Read moreEU-China summit an opportunity to tackle Chinese support for coal in southeast Europe
Press release | 8 April, 2019Brussels – With the EU-China summit kicking off in Brussels on April 9, Bankwatch launches a new analysis [1] showing 3.5 GW of new coal may be built in southeast Europe with Chinese support, including in EU member states Romania and Greece.
Read moreRelated publications
Retrained and forgotten
Study | 16 April, 2019 | Download PDFThis research analyses the context of downsizing the ining sector in the Jiu Valley, the concrete measures taken to mitigate the social impact in the areas hit by restructuring the mining sector and how successful these measures were.
Chinese-financed coal projects in Southeast Europe
Briefing | 8 April, 2019 | Download PDFEU member states Romania and Greece, as well as several EU enlargement countries in the Western Balkans, plan to build new lignite power plants. The Balkan coal plans starkly conflict with the Paris Agreement’s aim of limiting climate change to 1.5°C b
Slovak aspects of the EIB Energy Lending Policy
Policy comments | 1 April, 2019 | Download PDFOne of the biggest challenges in Slovakia is to ensure systematic support for the development of decentralised, non-fossil and sustainable energy system. The European Investment Bank (EIB) already invested far too much into fossil gas (77 per cent of a
