NECU and Bankwatch statement on the incident at Zaporizhye nuclear plant in Ukraine
Press release | 3 December, 2014Statement on an incident at the Zaporizhye nuclear power plant in Ukraine, where a power transformer dysfunction occurred on November 28th.
Read moreSostanj lignite plant: A mistake not to be repeated
Press release | 2 December, 2014Ljubljana — A new briefing by Slovenian NGO Focus shows how misguided assessments of future viability and corruption led to TES6 lignite unit costing more than double the estimated amount, bringing annual losses of tens of millions of euros, and creating only a fraction of the number of jobs promised.
Read moreTwo great new websites on all things coal
Blog entry | 31 October, 2014As anti-coal movements are gaining momentum around the world, two new websites offer a slew of information about the dirtiest of fossil fuels and the campaigns against it. They also offer a stark reminder that despite progress in the last years coal is far from dead.
Read moreZagreb Mayor arrested – and not before time
Blog entry | 20 October, 2014Something quite amazing happened yesterday evening in Zagreb. The Croatian police and the State Prosecutor announced that several people had been arrested on suspicion of a number of criminal corruption offences, abuse of office and peddling influence. Among the arrested were Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic, Head of Zagreb Holding municipal company Slobodan Ljubicic, the head of the ZET public transport company Ivan Tolic, head and part-owner of the CIOS metal recycling company Petar Pripuza and around 15 more un-named people.
Read moreFlood impacts kept secret by hydropower plant constructor in Georgia
Blog entry | 6 October, 2014Georgian Urban Energy (GUE), the company in charge of constructing the Paravani hydropower plant (HPP), has been keeping secret a study on the potential flooding risks associated with the facility, despite requests and promises from the EBRD that such an analysis would be made public.
Read moreBig EU energy projects cannot be chosen behind closed doors, say NGOs
Press release | 29 September, 2014Brussels — As a new process of identifying big EU energy Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) kicks off in Brussels today, environmental NGOs warn that the EU must only prioritise energy projects which are not destructive of the environment and climate, and that the choice of these projects must be done through a transparent process.
Read moreOn Evgeny Vitishko, multilateral development banks and the criminalisation of public criticism
Blog entry | 26 September, 2014The recent rejection to release Evgeny Vitishko’s, an imprisoned environmental activist in Russia, illustrates the backlash against fundamental rights and freedoms in some countries. Multilateral development banks need to take notice of this trend and be more wary of the risk that their lending may strengthen authoritarian regimes.
Read moreSerbian energy sector needs overhaul
Blog entry | 10 September, 2014The news portal Deutsche Welle has visited the Kolubara lignite mine in Serbia and produced a short clip about the difficulties faced by the Serbian energy sector. Our Serbian colleague Nikola Perusic speaks in the video about the terrible landslide that happened in May 2013.
Read moreSecond fatal landslide in Georgian Dariali valley
Blog entry | 22 August, 2014While likely not the cause, the EBRD-financed Dariali hydropower plant is being constructed without proper assessment or mitigation of known geological risks. The construction must be halted to avoid further damage.
Read moreAzerbaijan political prisoners list published with report’s authors on it
Press release | 19 August, 2014London — Human rights activists in Azerbaijan published yesterday a list of 98 people who are currently political prisoners in the country run by the authoritarian regime of Ilham Aliyev. Ironically, the list includes the names of two of its authors, prominent rights activists Rasul Jafarov and Leyla Yunus, who were arrested under false charges earlier this month while they were working on the report.
Read more