Ukraine’s woes deepen as EBRD warns of power price doubling
4 February 2014 | Energo
available upon request
Big loans to big players
30 January 2014 | Mada Masr
To many outsiders looking in, the seemingly resounding “yes” vote in Egypt’s recent constitutional referendum might suggest that, three years on from the January 25 protests that kick-started the country’s revolution, the democratic transition is healthily moving forward.
Hydropower Struggle: Dams Threaten Europe’s Last Wild Rivers
29 January 2014 | Der Spiegel
Europe’s last remaining wild rivers flow through the Balkans, providing stunning scenery and habitat to myriad plants and animals. But hundreds of dam projects threaten to do irreparable harm to the region’s unique biospheres — to provide much needed electricity to the people who live there.
EBRD hiding head in the sand on Egypt democracy
29 January 2014 | The Daily News Egypt
Individual rights, gender equality, freedom of religion, freedom of thought and opinion, freedom of press, the right to go on strike — all these and other rights and freedoms are enshrined in the new constitution that Egyptians voted overwhelmingly in favour of.
A Lesson for Dr. Kim and the World Bank as It Ponders the Kosovo Coal Project
27 January 2014 | Huffington Post
When Dr. Kim, President of the World Bank, and leaders of other international financial institutions ponder funding new coal power projects this year — like the one in Kosovo — there’s one word that should be seared into their memories: Sostanj.
The scandal-marred lignite plant TES 6 in Slovenia will likely cost 1.44 billion euros
27 January 2014 | Balkans Business News
The scandal-marred lignite plant TES 6 at Sostanj in Slovenia will likely cost 1.44 billion euros (2 billion US), more than double than what was initially predicted, and is due to produce annual losses of 50 million euros, show calculations recently revealed by Slovenian media. These cost escalations, predicted by NGOs critical of the project, should constitute a word of caution for other countries in South-Eastern Europe that are considering building new coal capacities
