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 2022, the plant delivered 4388 GWh of electricity to the grid, nearly 20 per cent of the country’s coal-based generation.
Latest news
New report shows World Bank tough talk on climate is just a mirage in Mongolia’s Gobi desert
Press release | 14 December, 2012Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia – Just one week after its grim warning during the UN climate talks in Doha that the world is on a path towards a four degree-rise in global temperatures, the World Bank is set to approve financing for yet another coal plant. The plant will power a giant mining complex in Mongolia’s South Gobi desert, fuelling climate change and violating the Bank’s own policies, argues a new analysis from advocacy groups.
Read moreFinancial alchemy in Slovenia’s energy sector still results in lignite, not gold
Blog entry | 11 December, 2012Even with the latest investment plan for unit 6 at the Sostanj lignite power plant (TES 6), the project’s economics are (surprise, surprise) still distinctly shaky as an independent analysis shows. Nonetheless, the project looks ever more likely to get a state guarantee from the Slovene government.
Read moreDirty coal gets closer to receiving almost half a billion euros from EU taxpayers
Press release | 3 December, 2012The European Investment Bank (EIB) is gearing up to pay 440 million euros to a new 600 MW lignite plant in Slovenia at a time when calls for an end to subsidies for fossil fuels are intensifying all over the world.
Read moreRelated publications
Cleaning up District Heating: Best technologies and real-life examples
Brochure | 18 April, 2024 | Download PDFIntended for practitioners, policymakers, civil society and the energy sector, this brochure reviews various public financing options that can help enable the transition to clean district heating.
The Modernisation Fund: An open door for fossil gas in Romania
Report | 26 March, 2024 | Download PDFThe Modernisation Fund is supposed to channel revenues from the EU’s carbon market into the energy transition in central and eastern Europe. But it’s actually being used to further deepen the region’s dependence on fossil gas.
The great energy trap: An evaluation of the economic viability of replacing coal with gas in large power plants in Bulgaria
Report | 14 March, 2024 | Download PDFThis report analyses several scenarios for replacing the existing coal capacity at Maritsa East and Bobov Dol with new gas-fired units. It looks at the implications of these projects becoming financially viable, including the investments required, possible state aid, and the electricity costs for households.