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
Pljevlja II lignite power plant, Montenegro
CANCELLED: For several years the Montenegrin authorities planned a second unit at the Pljevlja lignite-fired power plant in the north of Montenegro, near the borders with Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. An existing plant has been operating there since 1982. In 2019 the authorities finally admitted the second unit would not be built.
Tuzla 7 lignite power plant, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The 450 MW Tuzla 7 project has become an iconic example of the clash between Chinese-backed investments and EU standards in the Balkans. The lead contractor would be the China Gezhouba Group Co. and a financing deal was signed with the China ExIm Bank in November 2017.
Banovici lignite power plant, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The 350 MW Banovići coal power plant project was planned alongside the existing Banovići mine just a few kilometres away from Tuzla by the predominantly state-owned RMU Banovići (Banovići Brown Coal Mines).
Latest news
How renewable energy could reinvigorate Romania’s slumbering district heating sector
Blog entry | 3 March, 2023The lack of modernisation and rehabilitation of Romania’s district heating systems is felt most strongly by the inhabitants, but it also affects local budgets and has a negative impact on the environment.
Read moreIlliberalism alert: draft law to shut down civil society awaits vote in the Romanian senate
Blog entry | 22 February, 2023Under the absurd claim that the country doesn’t have enough motorways or hydropower generation capacity because of NGOs’ actions in court challenging environmental and construction permits, the Romanian parliament is going after civil society altogether and on multiple fronts.
Read moreEBRD: Everything is peachy, just trust us!
Blog entry | 17 February, 2023The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) appears keen to finance a major new pipeline to import fossil gas from Greece to North Macedonia, which would lock the country into increased fossil gas use for decades. Yet when the rationale for this is questioned, the EBRD fails to provide relevant data to justify its claims.
Read moreRelated publications
LNG rush threatens Baltic energy transition: why new LNG infrastructure is a false solution for energy security in the Baltics
Briefing | 14 March, 2023 | Download PDFAs a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Baltic states and Finland, which had relied on Russia for fossil gas imports, now lack sufficient alternative infrastructure to cover regional demand. The main efforts to diversify gas sources and reduce regi
If you’re in a hole, stop digging: a case study on Hungary’s plans to revisit shale gas and on the environmental, social and health impacts of fracking
Briefing | 28 February, 2023 | Download PDFIn 2022, Hungary announced an energy emergency and, to address the crisis, plans to increase domestic fossil gas production. A key part of these plans was to develop an unconventional fossil gas (‘shale gas’) field in Békés county (the Corvinus project
Analysis of alternatives to coal-based district heating for the Bitola region in North Macedonia
Analysis | 21 December, 2022 | Download PDFThe study examines the current heating situation in the Bitola region (covering the municipalities of Bitola, Mogila and Novaci), followed by an analysis of the techno-economic potential for using decentralised heating solutions that are also in line with the country’s environmental protection commitments.
