Komarnica hydropower plant, Montenegro
March 9, 2022
Planned by Montenegro’s state-owned electricity utility EPCG, the need for the Komarnica hydropower plant has never been proven.
EU funds and biodiversity
March 4, 2022
Nature in Europe and beyond is in crisis. 81 per cent of habitats in the EU are in ‘poor condition’, and without swift action this will only become worse. We need systemic and wide-reaching action and investments to tackle biodiversity loss and help restore nature before it is too late. The EU has pledged at least 20 billion per year from the EU budget to be earmarked for biodiversity by 2027, offering enormous potential to restore and protect nature, providing this is properly invested. We are closely monitoring the proposal for the next EU Budget, to be released in 2025, to improve the use of EU biodiversity financing and to ensure these public funds work for – not against – nature.
Ugljevik power plant, Bosnia and Herzegovina
December 17, 2021
Commissioned in 1985, the 300 MW coal power plant in Ugljevik, Bosnia and Herzegovina, has become famous for emitting more sulphur dioxide than all of Germany’s coal power plants in 2019.
Pljevlja I power plant, Montenegro
December 16, 2021
The existing 225 MW Pljevlja thermal power plant in the north of Montenegro, near the borders with Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, has been operating since 1982. The plant was originally planned to comprise two units but the second one was never built. The plant, along with the extensive use of coal and wood for heating, has caused unbearably bad air quality in the town.
Kostolac B power plant (B1, B2), Serbia
December 16, 2021
The Kostolac B power plant, consisting of 2 units of 350 MW each, first started operating in 1987. In 2023, the plant delivered 4445 GWh of electricity to the grid, nearly 20 per cent of the country’s coal-based generation.
Buk Bijela dam and the Upper Drina cascade
December 13, 2021
Buk Bijela is one of 14 dams planned on the upper Drina and its tributaries. It would block the migration of the majestic Danube salmon and damage local rafting tourism. Its development has been marked by a series of legal violations.
Tashlyk pumped storage plant, Ukraine
December 7, 2021
The Tashlyk pumped storage plant is a massive hydropower project. Its operation extends to protected areas with peculiar microclimate features that are rich in biodiversity and endemic flora. These unique landscapes create a spectacular tourist attraction. The territory is also of great historical and archaeological significance. However, all of this would be flooded if the Tashlyk pumped storage plant expansion project is completed.
Fossil gas
May 31, 2021
Fossil gas is the new coal. Although often labelled ‘natural,’ fossil gas is a major driver of the climate crisis. There is no more room for new investments in fossil gas projects if we are to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis and set a path towards decarbonisation.
District heating
April 7, 2021
Winters have become a stark reminder that we need to speed up the energy transition. In central and eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, district and individual heating are still dominated by polluting, expensive fossil fuels and other unsustainable energy sources. Europeans deserve warm homes without having to fear exorbitant energy bills, chronic air pollution or an out-of-control climate crisis. More national and local governments need to utilise European public finance to tap the massive potential of various renewable energies to power district heating systems so we heat homes, not the planet.
The Khada Valley, Georgia
April 8, 2020
The Khada Valley in Georgia brings together exceptional biodiversity, precious cultural and archeological heritage, and mountainous villages which have preserved rich traditions and historical lifestyles. But all of this might vanish if a 23-kilometer road from Georgia to Russia – the Kvesheti-Kobi project – is built.
