Fossil fuels are fast losing their social license. It is becoming increasingly evident that countries’ continued reliance on dirty hydrocarbons escalates the climate crisis, worsens air pollution and enables war.
Long touted as a ‘bridge fuel,’ fossil gas now needs to be recognised by policymakers for the hurdle to the energy transition that it is, and multilateral development banks should urgently end support for gas projects and gas-dependent companies.
The energy transition has to be just and fast, with citizens, municipalities and workers as critical participants in the process. We are working to ensure no more public money is spent on coal, and public finance is used to accelerate this transition.
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IN FOCUS
Fossil gas
Fossil gas is the new coal. Although often labelled ‘natural,’ fossil gas is a major driver of the climate crisis. There is no more room for new investments in fossil gas projects if we are to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis and set a path towards decarbonisation.
District heating
District heating and individual heating are still dominated by fossil fuels and inefficient burning of wood without regard to sustainability criteria, in combination with a low degree of energy efficiency. This has to change, since heating plays a crucial role in the transition into a clean and zero-carbon economy.
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.
Documentary: Turning the Tide
Our documentary exposes, for the first time, the extent of financial support four of the world’s leading multilateral development banks (MDBs) – the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development – have been providing to the global fossil fuels industry over the past 13 years.
Our analysis shows that since 2008, the oil, coal and gas business has been enjoying no less than EUR 81.5 billion in support from these government-owned financial institutions in the form of loans, grants, credit lines and guarantees.
Coal projects
Ugljevik power plant, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Commissioned in 1985, the 300 MW coal power plant in Ugljevik, Bosnia and Herzegovina, has become famous for emitting more sulphur dioxide than all of Germany’s coal power plants in 2019.
Pljevlja I power plant, Montenegro
The existing 225 MW Pljevlja thermal power plant in the north of Montenegro, near the borders with Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, has been operating since 1982. The plant was originally planned to comprise two units but the second one was never built. The plant, along with the extensive use of coal and wood for heating, has caused unbearably bad air quality in the town.
Kostolac B power plant (B1, B2), Serbia
The Kostolac B power plant, consisting of 2 units of 350 MW each, first entered into operation in 1987. In 2020, the plant delivered 4,571 GWh of electricity to the grid, nearly 18 per cent of the country’s coal-based generation. Kostolac B also released 95,097 tonnes of SO2 in 2020, which was enough to breach the national – not plant level – 2020 ceiling for this pollutant by 1.74 times.
Latest news
Replacing coal with forest biomass for heating is a dangerous green mirage
Blog entry | 21 July, 2022With the energy transition well underway, and the end of the era of coal clearly on the horizon, biomass for heating is gradually becoming a favorite for governments in the Western Balkans and their financial partners. ‘Tree power’ might sound like the greenest kind of energy, but burning timber from forests to heat homes is anything but sustainable.
Read moreKosovo’s new law on pollution control risks muddying the waters
Blog entry | 13 July, 2022Kosovo’s parliament is currently scrutinizing a new law on integrated pollution prevention and control. Its aim is positive – to tighten Kosovo’s standards. But as written now, it risks doing the opposite.
Read moreBosnia’s planned Tuzla 7 lignite plant on the rocks after state aid U-turn
Press release | 6 July, 2022The future of the planned 450 MW Tuzla 7 lignite plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina is again in doubt after the country’s State Aid Council revoked its decision to approve a public guarantee for a EUR 614 million loan from China Eximbank last week, four years after the Council’s initial clearance.
Read moreRelated publications
Analysis of Kosovo’s draft law on integrated pollution prevention and control
Analysis | 13 July, 2022 | Download PDFKosovo’s parliament is currently reviewing a draft law on pollution prevention and control. This legal analysis finds a number of issues that need to be addressed in order to ensure coherence with existing legislation and prevent the creation of legal loopholes that could result in erosion of the current standards instead of strengthening them.
FLATTERING TO DECEIVE: A reality check for the ‘EU Climate Bank’
Report | 15 June, 2022 | Download PDFThis report seeks to inform important processes taking place at the EIB in 2022 and 2023, specifically the mid-term reviews of its Energy Policy and its Climate Roadmap.
Position paper: Kosovo’s National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP)
Position paper | 31 May, 2022 | Download PDFThis position paper aims to provide recommendations for Kosovo’s National Energy and Climate Plan, which is currently being developed, from an environmental sustainability and public inclusion standpoint.
