External review of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment of the Nenskra hydropower plant
Publication | 13 May, 2015The Georgian Ministry of Environment has commissioned an external review of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of the Nenskra hydropower plant before issuing its ecological expertise opinion which is a prerequisite for a construction permit. This review indicates that the ESIA report for Nenskra fails to sufficiently define the area of influence, suggest project alternatives, assess the impacts on the local communities and evaluate the costs and benefits of the project for the Georgian society.
Read moreEBRD money and nuclear safety in Ukraine: Being a lender does not guarantee leverage
Publication | 12 May, 2015The EBRD has denied its role in enabling Ukraine’s ageing units to operate beyond their design lifetime. It has also claimed that through the loan it has important leverage over its client Energoatom to help ensure a proper level of nuclear safety and the compliance with Ukraine’s international commitments in the nuclear energy sector. However, developments in January-May 2015 show the EBRD has been over-optimistic about the role and leverage it has gotten by granting the loan for the safety upgrade project.
Read moreWinstar oil and gas fields in southern Tunisia
Publication | 12 May, 2015In 2013 Winstar Tunisia, a subsidiary of Serinus Energy, obtained a USD 60 million loan from the EBRD to develop four oil and gas fields in southern Tunisia. In March 2015, Bankwatch met with local authorities, civil society representatives and labour unions in the two southern provinces and identified a number of problematic aspects, most notably the lack of transparency and communication from the side of the company with local stakeholders.
Read more
Guest post: Plight of locals at Kumtor mine brought to Centerra Gold’s general meeting in Toronto
Blog entry | 11 May, 2015Journalist and researcher Ryskeldi Satke reports on Centerra Gold’s annual general meeting where mining activists presented shareholders with information on human rights violations and the negative environmental and social impacts of the Kumtor Gold mine.
Read moreBoskov Most hydropower plant project
Publication | 6 May, 2015Following earlier publications about the Boskov Most project’s irreversible impact on nature, this paper provides an overview of the most recent developments concerning the planned HPPs in the Mavrovo national park.
Read moreHydropower in Georgia
Publication | 6 May, 2015Since 2011 the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has provided USD 210.5 million to three greenfield hydropower projects (HPP) in Georgia – Paravani, Dariali and Shuakhevi. Instead of bringing improvements on the ground and environmental standards that are on par with best international practice, the EBRD has, by funding these projects, simply justified the wrongdoings that were from the beginning apparent: the degradation of river ecosystems, corruption and threats to people.
Read moreThursday’s decision to suspend operation of a Soviet-era nuclear unit in Ukraine should lead to its retirement
Press release | 4 May, 2015Prague, Kiev – CEE Bankwatch Network and the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU) welcome the Ukrainian State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate Council’s decision at its meeting last Thursday (April 30) to suspend the operation of unit 2 in the South Ukraine nuclear power plant once it exceeds its design lifetime next week. According to the Council’s decision, a lifetime extension license for this 30 year old nuclear unit could be considered in the future, but only if all required conditions are met.
Read more
Ukraine’s Other Chernobyls
Blog entry | 30 April, 2015For safety reasons, Europe must help the Ukrainian government retire, not revive, its nuclear reactors. (This commentary originally appeared on Project Syndicate.)
Read more
Infographic: If energy security is the question … the Euro-Caspian Mega Pipeline is not the answer
Publication | 29 April, 2015Europe talks of diversifying energy supplies from Russia by building a set of pipelines from the shores of Azerbaijan’s Caspian Sea to Italy. But the EU’s dependency on Azerbaijan for fossil energy fuels repression and feeds the authoritarian Aliyev regime. All the while, Europe does not need all that gas.
Read moreDiscovering Ukraine’s Nuclear Shadows
Blog entry | 27 April, 2015– UPDATING STORY – A Bankwatch fact-finding mission is currently in Ukraine to explore the state of nuclear energy in the country, particularly in light of intentions to extend the lifetime of 12 Soviet-era nuclear units.
Read more
