ARCHIVED: Olkaria geothermal development, Kenya
April 12, 2017
Financed by several development banks, geothermal installations have uprooted Maasai communities whose fundamental rights as an indigenous people have been ignored at first. The company has so far been slow and reluctant in addressing the Maasai’s complaints.
Khudoni hydropower plant, Georgia
April 28, 2015
While a mountain community will have to be forced to resettle for this mega-project, the opaque ownership and weak taxation mean that benefits for Georgia are highly doubtful.
Pljevlja II lignite power plant, Montenegro
October 7, 2014
CANCELLED: For several years the Montenegrin authorities planned a second unit at the Pljevlja lignite-fired power plant in the north of Montenegro, near the borders with Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. An existing plant has been operating there since 1982. In 2019 the authorities finally admitted the second unit would not be built.
Tuzla 7 lignite power plant, Bosnia and Herzegovina
October 7, 2014
The 450 MW Tuzla 7 project has become an iconic example of the clash between Chinese-backed investments and EU standards in the Balkans. The lead contractor would be the China Gezhouba Group Co. and a financing deal was signed with the China ExIm Bank in November 2017. However, in December 2023, the Federation of BiH’s Prime Minister confirmed that the plant will not go ahead. The cancellation of the works contract is still pending, however.
Banovici lignite power plant, Bosnia and Herzegovina
October 7, 2014
The 350 MW Banovići coal power plant project was planned alongside the existing Banovići mine just a few kilometres away from Tuzla by the predominantly state-owned RMU Banovići (Banovići Brown Coal Mines).
Ugljevik III lignite power plant, Bosnia and Herzegovina
October 7, 2014
The concession for Ugljevik III near Bijeljina in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is held by Russian billionaire Rashid Sardarov’s Comsar Energy.
Stanari lignite power plant, Bosnia and Herzegovina
October 7, 2014
EFT’s 300 MW Stanari power plant, constructed by China’s Dongfang, and financed by the China Development Bank, is located near Doboj in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the Republika Srpska part of the country.
Kolubara B lignite-fired power plant, Serbia
October 6, 2014
The Kolubara B thermal power plant site is situated near Kalenic village, 60 km south-west of Belgrade, at the northern side of the Tamnava Open Cast Mine. The decision to build the 2 x 350 MW plant was taken in 1983 and construction started in 1988. Construction progressed slowly until 1992, when work was suspended due to sanctions against Serbia. At this stage, about 40 per cent of the facility had already been constructed, partly with the assistance of a World Bank loan.
Kostolac B3 power plant, Serbia
October 6, 2014
As of January 2024, Serbia’s state-owned utility Elektroprivreda Srbije is about to start operating a new 350 MW lignite plant at Kostolac in the country’s north-east. The project is receiving high level support and Chinese financing, but is plagued by concerns over its economics, pollution and legal irregularities.
Kosova e Re lignite power plant, Kosovo
March 29, 2013
CANCELLED: For more than a decade, successive Kosovo governments planned to build a new 500 MW lignite plant (around 450 MW net), Kosova e Re or New Kosovo. The controversial project was finally cancelled in 2020 after concession-holder ContourGlobal pulled out.
