Kostolac B3 power plant, Serbia
October 6, 2014
In December 2024, Serbia’s state-owned utility Elektroprivreda Srbije commissioned a new 350 MW lignite plant at Kostolac in the country’s north-east. The project received high level support and Chinese financing, but is plagued by concerns over its economics, pollution and legal irregularities.
The energy sector in Serbia
October 1, 2014
Serbia is mostly an energy importer of oil and natural gas which, along with coal products constitute around 90% of its yearly energy consumption. Although the country has produced oil and gas in small quantities since the mid-50s, it is heavily reliant on imports, mostly from Russia. In March 2013 a long-term deal was signed with Gazprom to extend gas imports of more than 2.5 billion cubic meters up to 2021 with a 13 per cent reduction for current prices.
The energy sector in Montenegro
October 1, 2014
With around 650 000 inhabitants, Montenegro’s electricity needs are currently satisfied by just one 210 MW coal power plant at Pljevlja (around one third of electricity), and hydropower plants (the remaining two thirds). Hydropower comes mainly from the 307 MW Perucica and 342 MW Piva plants, with the remainder from other much smaller hydro facilities. New forms of renewable energy are hardly used at all in the country, despite significant potential in some regions.
The energy sector in North Macedonia
October 1, 2014
Coal and lignite account for around 80 percent of total electricity production, which was 514 241 GWh in 2012. The remainder comes from hydropower, with a small amount of solar. Domestic production accounts for 70.1 percent of Macedonia’s electricity consumption (2012), while imports account for 29.9 percent. Generation capacities & imports Fossil fuels
The energy sector in Croatia
October 1, 2014
Croatia has around 4.4 million inhabitants and a rich potential for renewable energy and energy efficiency. The country produces 48.4 percent of its total primary energy supply, including around 20 percent of the oil it consumes, and around two thirds of natural gas. Unlike most of its Western Balkan neighbours it no longer has its own coal or lignite reserves. Generation capacities and HEP Croatia produces only about 58 percent of its own electricity, and 95 percent of its electricity generation capacity is owned by Hrvatska Elektroprivreda, the state-owned electricity group.
The energy sector in Bulgaria
September 30, 2014
Bulgaria has two main pillars of the electricity producing sector – coal and nuclear. Coal provides roughly half of the electricity in the country and nuclear another 35 per cent. The rest is covered by renewables dominated by large hydro and followed by solar and wind generation. The currently prepared energy strategy of Bulgaria is likely to continue the coal and nuclear obsessions, with slightly increased reliance on imported gas. By the end of 2015 nearly 1700 MW of old coal capacity should be phased-out.
The energy sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina
September 30, 2014
Bosnia and Herzegovina is currently a net exporter of electricity. More than half of its electricity generation capacity is made up of hydropower, while the remainder is made up of four lignite power plants.
Kosova e Re lignite power plant, Kosovo
March 29, 2013
CANCELLED: For more than a decade, successive Kosovo governments planned to build a new 500 MW lignite plant (around 450 MW net), Kosova e Re or New Kosovo. The controversial project was finally cancelled in 2020 after concession-holder ContourGlobal pulled out.
Plomin coal power plant, Croatia
December 18, 2012
CANCELLED: after five years of campaigning, plans for Plomin C were dropped in 2016. Croatian plans to more than double the capacity of the Plomin coal power plant would have resulted in increased carbon-emissions for several decades. The project’s profitability was questionable and the plans were facing local opposition and conflicting regional legislation.
Coal-fired power plants in Poland
September 13, 2011
Faced with an outdated energy system, the Polish government is determined to invest in climate damaging coal rather than focusing on renewable energy.
