• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Bankwatch

  • About us
    • Our vision
    • Who we are
    • 30 years of Bankwatch
    • Donors & finances
    • Get involved
  • What we do
    • Campaign areas
      • Beyond fossil fuels
      • Rights, democracy and development
      • Finance and biodiversity
      • Funding the energy transformation
      • Cities for People
    • Institutions we monitor
      • European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
      • European Investment Bank
      • Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
      • Asian Development Bank (ADB)
      • EU funds
    • Our projects
    • Success stories
  • Publications
  • News
    • Blog posts
    • Press releases
    • Stories
    • Podcast
    • Us in the media
    • Videos
Home > Press release > Violations at EBRD power lines project spark clashes between police and villagers in Ukraine

Violations at EBRD power lines project spark clashes between police and villagers in Ukraine

A project financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the Odessa region of Ukraine has this week been the scene of clashes between 300 police officers and villagers resisting the routing of high voltage power lines through their village. The EUR 25.8 million Odessa High Voltage Grid Upgrade project is being implemented by Ukraine’s national electricity company Ukrenergo in violation of agreements with the EBRD, the international public development bank and backer of the project.

18 November 2009


A project financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the Odessa region of Ukraine has this week been the scene of clashes between 300 police officers and villagers resisting the routing of high voltage power lines through their village. The EUR 25.8 million Odessa High Voltage Grid Upgrade project is being implemented by Ukraine’s national electricity company Ukrenergo in violation of agreements with the EBRD, the international public development bank and backer of the project. [1]

Signed off by the EBRD in 2005, the project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) deemed that the power lines were to bypass the village of Usatove. However, Ukrenergo’s plans to proceed with the routing of the power lines in very close vicinity to local houses and streets have led to months of resistance by local inhabitants, which came to a head on Monday this week as police arrived in the village to free up space for project construction workers (see the embedded video). [2]

Clashes on Monday (see video below) left five women seeking medical assistance. With ongoing police backing, Ukrenergo has continued its construction efforts in the village, working overnight, as villagers reacted by blocking roads. This morning five local men were beaten and arrested on the site.

Yury Urbansky, of the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine and Bankwatch National coordinator, said: “Ukrenergo’s blatant disregard for the terms of the EUR 25 million EBRD loan is shocking and is provoking fear and discontent in Usatove’s inhabitants. The company is seeking further EBRD assistance for another transmission lines project which is at the public consultations stage and also involves controversial routing and public safety concerns.

“But events in the last few days show clearly that the company is unwilling to consider the voices of local people, and it has apparently little concern for the European standards of project implementation that an EBRD loan is supposed to provide. The EBRD should be halting any further project negotiations with Ukrenergo until the village of Usatovo is safe from harm.”

The South Ukraine Transmission Project is the other major transmission line project promoted by Ukrenergo currently and being considered for funding by the EBRD. The draft EIA for the project is now open for public discussion, though Bankwatch has already alerted the bank to consultation shortcomings. [3]

For more information

Yury Urbansky
National Ecological Centre of Ukraine/CEE Bankwatch Network
Tel: +38050 512 3222
Email: urbik AT necu.org.ua

Notes for editors

1. EBRD project documentation can be viewed at the EBRD website.

2. See also a Ukrainian TV news reports and video from the site showing the violent clashes here.

3. EBRD project documentation for the proposed South Ukraine Transmission Project can be viewed here.

A Bankwatch press release outlining the public consultation deficiencies to date can be viewed at the Bankwatch website.

Never miss an update

We expose the risks of international public finance and bring critical updates from the ground – straight to your inbox.





Institution: EBRD | EIB

Theme: Energy & climate

Location: Ukraine

Project: The ‘Second Backbone Corridor’ – High voltage electricity transmission lines, Ukraine

Footer

CEE Bankwatch Network gratefully acknowledges EU funding support.

The content of this website is the sole responsibility of CEE Bankwatch Network and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.

Unless otherwise noted, the content on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 License

Your personal data collected on the website is governed by the present Privacy Policy.

Get in touch with us

  • Bluesky
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • YouTube