Analysis of compatibility of the Plomin C coal plant with Credit Agricole’s energy policies
September 10, 2015
The analysis, by Friends of the Earth France and Croatia, Zelena Istra, CEE Bankwatch Network and BankTrack, screens the risks of the 500 megawatt Plomin C coal power plant project proposed for development in the picturesque Istrian peninsula in Croatia, a popular international tourist destination. It concludes that French bank Crédit Agricole’s support for the project is inconsistent with the bank’s climate ambitions and its own sector policy on coal-fired power plants. according to a new study released today.
[Campaign update] Petition to clean up southeast Europe’s energy system
September 7, 2015
By now regular readers of the Bankwatch blog will know that the energy system in southeast Europe is corrupt, dirty and inefficient. But we now have an opportunity to change it.
Guest post: Croatia and the Energy Union: the European Commission’s unwarranted obsession with gas
August 20, 2015
Building the Energy Union, the European Commission pretends that all is well for renewables in Croatia and unnecessarily fixates on diversifying gas supply instead of managing demand.
The Balkans Are Giving Climate Change the Finger
July 7, 2015
After just five hours visiting the tiny Serbian village of Vreoci, just outside the country’s capital, environmental activist Dragana Mileusnic developed a terrible cough. Vreoci is pincered between two rapidly expanding arms of the Kolubara coal mine, one of the largest in Europe, which churns out 22 million tons of coal per year — along with what Mileusnic calls “incredible” air pollution. Now the mine owner is resettling the entire village because coal dust, smog and respiratory disease have made life there unbearable.
After Slovenia’s Sostanj coal power plant debacle, is any bank going to finance Croatia’s Plomin C?
June 12, 2015
Slovenia’s newly built Sostanj 6 is expected to generate losses of around EUR 200 million over the next 3-4 years. Given that Croatia’s Plomin C project shares some of Sostanj 6’s features could Croatia be about to repeat its neighbour’s mistakes?
Possible coal and energy State aid cases in Energy Community countries based on publicly accessible information
June 8, 2015
By signing the Energy Community Treaty in 2005, countries in the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova agreed to abide by the European Union’s competition rules. But a number of energy sector investments are being planned that may not so far have taken adequate account of state aid rules. This briefing includes case studies of projects from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and Ukraine. See related materials including a more detail briefing, a press release and a slideshow at:
Illegal coal subsidies could cost south-east European countries dearly, warns new study
June 8, 2015
Prague – New investments in coal mines and power plants could cost the Western Balkans and Ukraine dearly if they fail to take into account binding rules on subsidies (State aid), according to a new briefing released today by CEE Bankwatch Network.
Risks for coal and electricity investments in the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova due to state-aid rules
June 8, 2015
By signing the Energy Community Treaty in 2005, countries in the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova agreed that the European Union’s competition rules are to be applied also within their territory. A number of energy sector investments are being planned that may not so far have taken adequate account of State aid rules. This briefing therefore provides a summary to draw attention to relevant requirements of EU law and highlight the risks of failure to take them into account when planning investments. The account when planning investments.
Where will all that power go? New study assesses extravagant energy ambitions in the western Balkans
May 14, 2015
Western Balkan countries have ambitious plans to increase their electricity generation over the next years. But what will happen if they all become a regional energy hub? Will there be a demand for all the available electricity?
EBRD digs in deeper with Serbian coal king
May 14, 2015
Earlier this year, Serbian media reported that the EBRD was considering providing a new EUR 200 million loan for the financial restructuring of the state-owned electric utility power company of Serbia, EPS. The EBRD Director for Serbia, Mateo Patrone, was quoted by B92.net saying that the loan is aimed at helping the financial restructuring of EPS. Meanwhile, the EBRD’s country strategy for Serbia, approved by its board of directors last April, highlights the bank’s “key role in promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy” for the country.
