Dire straits – EBRD backing for oil transportation in the Kerch Strait appears belatedly on public radar
Publication | 10 May, 2013A European Bank for Reconstruction and Development loan to the SVL group, granted with no public oversight, threatens new oil-related catastrophes.
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One of the great enablers: how the EBRD threatens the environment and human rights in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan
Publication | 10 May, 2013In its recent report, ‘The great enablers: how investments by international financial institutions threaten the fragile Caspian Sea ecosystem’, Crude Accountability describes how investments in the Caspian Sea region by international financial institutions, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, are contributing to the intensification of extraction of and trade in the region’s oil and gas.
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EBRD Public Information Policy review should look to EU and US transparency advances
Publication | 10 May, 2013This year’s flurry of reviews to EBRD sectoral, country and operational strategies has given civil society organisations plenty to think about and provide input on. However, in the case of at least one of the reviews, we already have a pretty good idea what we will say. Because we’ve said it before – several times.
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EBRD Energy policy review – no more excuses, rhetoric or finessing
Publication | 10 May, 2013Energy is the watchword of the day, as we keep increasing the need for it, no matter the costs, apparently. Well, the costs do matter but they are distorted by subsidies old and new, for fossil fuels and for renewable energy sources, while the global business world is made to feel increasingly insecure by the price of carbon emissions.
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Croatian coal power plant predicted to be a killer – new study
Publication | 10 May, 2013A new report by Greenpeace Croatia, using European Environment Agency methodology, shows that the planned new 500 MW unit at the Plomin coal power plant in Croatia will cause approximately 17 early deaths annually, along with around 3970 lost working days due to illness and EUR 124.8 million in external costs.
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NEVER AGAIN – Sostanj lignite power plant financing slammed
Publication | 10 May, 2013Following confirmation at the beginning of March that the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development are paying out half a billion euros in loans for a new unit at the Sostanj lignite power plant (TES 6) in Slovenia, 98 organisations sent an open letter to both banks calling on them to never commit to such misguided loans again.
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A black future for the Black Sea and its people – is the rest of Europe funding Turkey’s huge coal power plans?
Publication | 10 May, 2013Amasra, situated on the south coast of the Black Sea, is an ancient city that these days bases its economy on tourism and fishing. It’s the beginning of April and the women’s market is welcoming the first tourists of the year with fresh cheese, home-made pasta and vegetables. On the wall in a nearby cafe hangs a large poster with the slogan: “Amasra does not need a power plant”.
Read moreSustainability criteria for small and large hydropower plants
Publication | 10 May, 2013In recent years the EBRD has increased its funding for hydropower plants (HPPs) of all sizes. While small hydropower plants are seen by many as a far safer technology than large hydropower plants, they too can cause interruptions in river flows, loss of biodiversity and the degradation of habitats, disruptions for migrating fish and a lack of water for irrigation and drinking in downstream communities. The updated EBRD Environmental and Social Policy should include safeguards to ensure that small HPPs are truly sustainable.
Read moreKolubara B: a project of the previous century
Publication | 10 May, 2013The energy sector in Serbia is reminiscent of the industrial development strategy of the former socialist Yugoslavia, with thousands of megawatts of power plant capacities planned, and much of that production to be wasted, while people remain unable to afford their energy bills. The EBRD is set to fund this scenario with its support for a lignite-based, inefficient economy in Serbia. This briefing outlines arguments against financing the Kolubara B lignite power plant in Serbia.
Read moreCase study: The Boskov Most hydropower plant in Macedonia and the EBRD’s Project Complaint Mechanism
Publication | 10 May, 2013The Boskov Most project involves the construction of a 33 metres-high accumulation dam and hydropower plant. It is mostly located in the territory of the Mavrovo National Park, one of the oldest and most valuable protected areas in the country. The EBRD approved the project in November 2011 and signed the finance contract the same year. The civil society organisation Eko-svest from Macedonia submitted a complaint to the EBRD’s Project Complaint Mechanism (PCM). This briefing outlines the problematic communication with the bank during the investigation.
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