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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We provide updates in English from the Balkans and other coal regions.
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
Rovinari unit 7, Romania
CANCELLED: The Romanian Government has been negotiating for several years with the Chinese Government to build a new 600 MW unit at the lignite power plant in Rovinari, Gorj County. The new unit would be built on the site of Units 1 and 2, currently decommissioned. A new up and running plant would pollute the whole region for at least 40 more years, a coal plant’s average lifespan.
Gacko II, Bosnia and Herzegovina
State-owned utility Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske, together with China Machinery and Engineering Corporation (CMEC) and Emerging Markets Power Fund, plans to build a new 350 MW lignite power plant in Gacko, near the town’s existing plant, and in December 2017 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to move the project forward.
Kamengrad lignite power plant, Bosnia-Herzegovina
An idea to build a power plant at the open-cast Kamengrad coal mine near Sanski Most in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been around for years, but in November 2017 it took a step forward with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Energy China International and the construction supplier Lager d.o.o. for a 2 x 215 MW plant.
Latest news
Moving Western Balkan district heating systems away from fossil fuels
Press release | 21 November, 2022With winter fast approaching, the need for efficient, clean and affordable district heating in communities throughout the Western Balkans is pressing.
Read moreSustainable district heating gives hope to the Romanian city of Motru, in a coal mining region
Blog entry | 18 November, 2022A new study shows that the city’s district heating can come from fully renewable sources.
Read more‘Money talk op COP27: van overheden tot banken, de strijd om geldstromen te verleggen, woedt volop’
Bankwatch in the media | 9 November, 2022Yelter Bollen van Bond Beter Leefmilieu (BBL) staat stil bij de meest gespannen gesprekken op de klimaattop in Egypte, die over geld voor …
Read moreRelated publications
Heating from renewable and alternative energy sources for the city of Motru. Solutions and recommendations.
Study | 17 November, 2022 | Download PDFThe study Heating from renewable and alternative energy sources for the city of Motru. Solutions and recommendations. identifies and analyses sustainable heating solutions for the city of Motru, located in Gorj County, Romania. It assesses the current
The EBRD must stay away from the unsustainable conversion of Tuzla’s coal plant and prioritise renewables in the district heating sector
Briefing | 9 November, 2022 | Download PDFThis briefing offers an overview of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) ongoing assessment of whether to grant a EUR 50 million loan in order to replace unit 3 of the Tuzla coal plant with a waste and biomass incineration syst
Getting gas out of district heating in the Baltics
Briefing | 12 October, 2022 | Download PDFThis briefing reviews the district heating situation in the Baltics and the opportunities for decarbonising the systems in these countries. It highlights good examples in Tallinn, Estonia; Salaspils, Latvia; and Vilnius, Lithuania that can inspire other central and eastern European municipalities to switch to renewables.
