When water mixes with coal – The impacts of the floods in Serbia on people living next to lignite mines
May 30, 2014
People living next to the Kolubara lignite mine in Serbia have suffered more under the floods due to the vicinity of the mine. Their demands for resettlement and compensation have now become more urgent than ever.
New online toolkit to tackle the Kings of Coal in south east Europe and Turkey
May 14, 2014
Last year saw international financial institutions such as the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank falling like dominoes one after the other and announcing in rapid succession that they will halt – almost totally – financing for new coal power plants. These banks were also joined by other institutions such as the US Exim Bank and the Nordic Investment Bank, and governments including the US, UK, Netherlands and Scandinavian countries.
The village of Junkovac near the Kolubara mine – neglected and destroyed
May 9, 2014
The story of Junkovac in Serbia highlights systemic violations of human rights, neglect and wrong doings in the lignite mining sector that have not changed since the involvement of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development began in 2000. One of most recent cases of violations of human and property rights involves the illegal dumping of overburden from the mines at the Junkovac site that for years has been a threat to the properties and lives of hundreds of people in the nearby village.
Planned contract for Plomin C coal plant most likely illegal state aid, says legal analysis
May 5, 2014
Zagreb, 05.05.2014 – A planned long-term power purchase agreement in which Croatian electricity company HEP will commit to buying at least 50% of electricity from the planned Plomin C power plant for 20-30 years will most likely be illegal under EU state aid rules, according to a new legal analysis by Hungary’s Environmental Management and Law Association (EMLA).
Legal opinion on the possible financing scheme of Plomin C and its compatibility with EU rules on state aid and public procurement (public summary)
May 5, 2014
This legal analysis argues that the tender arrangement for the Plomin C coal-fired power plant seriously questions the feasibility of the entire investment, not just from an environmental point of view as demonstrated by Zelena Akcija beforehand, but by now also from a competition point of view.
Serbian NGO presses criminal charges against Kolubara mining company over landslide
April 16, 2014
One year after a landslide destroyed thirteen houses the Kolubara mining company continues to dump waste in the same area without information from its investigations forthcoming. Locals fear that more landslides may occur. Bankwatch member group CEKOR has now increased pressure on the company and the EBRD.
Whose Energy Community? Treaty improvements urgently needed
March 20, 2014
The EU-backed Energy Community Treaty, signed in 2005 and comprising the western Balkan countries, Ukraine and Moldova, has been widely hailed as encouraging regional co-operation. It also sets a legislative framework for the signatories (also known as the contracting parties) that should contribute, along with the EU accession process, to addressing the environmental and social impacts of the energy sector. Indeed, examples of the Energy Community’s added value are its adoption of renewable energy targets in October 2012, as well as a requirement for power plants to comply with EU emissions limits.
Slovenia’s shoddy Šoštanj 6 busts the myth of cheap lignite power
March 20, 2014
Bankwatch has been monitoring and campaigning against the ill-conceived EBRD- and EIB-financed Unit 6 at Šoštanj in Slovenia for several years now. Yet the project never ceases to amaze with its myriad flaws and scandals – and the first few months of 2014 have been no exception.
Where’s Plan B for Kosovo’s energy sector?
March 20, 2014
Ideas about the construction of a new lignite power plant in Kosovo have existed since the end of the 1980s, and even the current Kosova e Re proposal – scaled down to 600 MW from the original 2100 MW – has been around since 2009. It is being touted by the Kosovo government, the World Bank, USAID and the European Commission among others as the only realistic option to replace the ageing and heavily polluting Kosovo A power plant.
Where’s Plan B for Kosovo’s energy sector?
March 18, 2014
When it comes to Kosovo’s energy future, institution after institution has been putting most of its eggs in a ‘new lignite’ basket while some very reasonable alternative investment options seem to fall by the wayside.
