Off balance – The Georgian energy sector and the contradictions in EU policy and practice
Publication | 18 June, 2013This study reviews the development of greenfield hydro projects in Georgia and explores how current energy sector trends in the country relate – or otherwise – to sustainable energy principles.
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Shale tale: Unconventional gas and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Blog entry | 12 June, 2013During the last months, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has come out with positive statements about shale gas investments, most recently on Poland – a rather rash endorsement of a controversial technology.
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[Campaign update] The reality of resettlement in Kolubara: Out of the frying pan into the fire
Blog entry | 4 June, 2013A quick visit to the Kolubara mining basin reveals that the resettlement there looks nothing like the presentation from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
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Face the future: Members of European Parliament discuss energy lending of European public banks
Blog entry | 3 June, 2013A roundtable discussion on European public banks and energy lending brought together Members of the European Parliament and non-governmental organisations, while the public banks themselves chose to stay away.
Read moreComments on the draft EBRD Transport Strategy
Publication | 30 May, 2013The explicit recognition of the Avoid-Shift-Improve framework in the EBRD’s draft transport strategy is welcome and serves as a useful guiding principle on where investments should be concentrated. However, how this principle is applied in practice is not explained throughout the document and the bank’s planned activities need to be more clearly linked to this framework in the document.
Read moreHow strong are human rights safeguards in the EBRD’s policies? Lessons learned from the Kolubara project
Publication | 30 May, 2013Experience with the implementation of the Environmental and Social Policy in the case of several controversial projects suggests that the EBRD’s environmental and social safeguards are not robust enough and need strengthened. The case of the Kolubara coal mine ‘Environmental Improvement’ project, Serbia illustrates how the policy places most responsibilities on the client, and EBRD assessment and monitoring are excessively reliant on input from the client, even in cases when feedback from NGOs and communities consistently contradicts the claims of the project sponsor.
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Victory for civil society as EBRD cancels loan for controversial Croatian dam
Blog entry | 28 May, 2013Today we’re relieved in Zagreb as one energy project that could have had a destructive impact on Croatia’s future has lost its financing and thus its chances of going ahead are drastically reduced: I’m speaking about the infamous Ombla dam, a project for an underground hydropower plant that would have practically destroyed a protected area close to Dubrovnik.
Read moreVictory for civil society as EBRD cancels loan for controversial Croatian dam
Press release | 28 May, 2013Zagreb, May 28 – Croatian electricity company HEP and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have cancelled a EUR 123 million loan contract for the controversial Ombla underground hydropower plant near Dubrovnik, HEP has announced yesterday. The EBRD financing would have covered the biggest bulk of the EUR 152.4 million estimated to be needed for construction.
Read moreLetter on Kolubara lignite mine to the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia
Publication | 28 May, 2013The letter brings the resettlement and expropriation issues that are connected to the Kolubara lignite mine to the attention of the EU’s representation in Serbia. Enclosed were recent letters to the EBRD and the Serbian finance minister (pdf) as well as a guardian article that illustrates the urgency of these problems.
Read moreConcerns about the proposed EBRD loan to Kuwait Energy
Publication | 27 May, 2013This analysis looks to the proposed loan of the EBRD to Kuwait energy, scheduled for approval on 29 May. Primary findings are that: The EBRD failed to properly identify the beneficiary of the loan, or the country where it is incorporated (the tax haven Jersey). The fossil fuel nature of Kuwait Energy’s drilling will fail to improve development or social justice in Egypt. While the EBRD claims to prioritise renewable energy, the reality shows a commitment to further oil & gas extraction, one of the few sectors that can easily attract capital.
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