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
Kolubara B lignite-fired power plant, Serbia
The Kolubara B thermal power plant site is situated near Kalenic village, 60 km south-west of Belgrade, at the northern side of the Tamnava Open Cast Mine. The decision to build the 2×350 MW plant was taken in 1983 and construction started in 1988. Construction progressed slowly until 1992, when work was suspended due to sanctions against Serbia. At this stage about 40 percent of the facility had already been constructed, partly with the assistance of a World Bank loan.
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, plans to build a new 500 MW lignite plant, Kosova e Re or New Kosovo.
Latest news
New report: Scenarios for a just transition in Jiu Valley, Romania
Press release | 23 September, 2019NGOs Bankwatch Romania and Greenpeace launched today a new report, “Just transition in Hunedoara – Economic diversification in a fair and sustainable manner”, outlining scenarios for the post-coal development of Romania’s best known coal region, the Jiu Valley, and highlighting that job growth and economic development without coal are very much possible in the region.
Read moreMontenegro finally cancels Pljevlja II coal power plant
Blog entry | 18 September, 2019Montenegrin Premier Duško Marković announced that the Government is no longer pursuing the planned Pljevlja II lignite power plant, making Montenegro the first Western Balkan country to officially cancel a new coal project.
Read moreNorth Macedonia: Bitola coal plant charged for failing to prevent pollution from ash dump
Campaign update | 9 September, 2019The public prosecutor’s office in the city of Bitola on Friday filed criminal charges against the state-owned REK Bitola coal power plant and its Director for failure to implement mitigation measures at the plant’s ash landfill.
Read moreRelated publications
The transformation action plan for the Slovakia’s Upper Nitra coal region
Study | 24 September, 2019 | Download PDFThe aim of this study is to describe the process by which local communities participated in theTransformation Action Plan of Coal Region Upper Nitra and to propose concrete steps towards thebetter integration of the local communities in order to achiev
Seven Golden Rules for open and inclusive just transition planning at the regional level
Briefing | 15 July, 2019 | Download PDFEvery region and every community is different. As EU countries wake up to the climate emergency and the need for a swift transition to a sustainable and carbon-neutral society, it is becoming increasingly clear that we need regional and community-level
Kako se riješiti smoga
Study | 25 June, 2019 | Download PDFKoliko bi javno zdravlje Tuzle imalo koristi od provedbe zakonodavstva o kvalitetu zraka CEE Bankwatch Network i Centar za ekologiju i energiju su u Tuzli proveli neovisni monitoring čestica prašine poznate kao PM10. Pored toga smo, na osnovu zvaničnih
