Ohrid – Peshtani expressway project, Macedonia
May 13, 2015
The project involves the construction of a new section between Ohrid and Pestani on the A3 express ‘Kosel’ to the Albanian border crossing at Ljubanishta. The new 12.5 kilometre section is at a higher elevation than the existing coastal road and towns and will pass through the Galicica National Park. This projects is part of a sovereign guaranteed loan of up to EUR 160 million.
External review of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment of the Nenskra hydropower plant
May 13, 2015
The Georgian Ministry of Environment has commissioned an external review of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of the Nenskra hydropower plant before issuing its ecological expertise opinion which is a prerequisite for a construction permit. This review indicates that the ESIA report for Nenskra fails to sufficiently define the area of influence, suggest project alternatives, assess the impacts on the local communities and evaluate the costs and benefits of the project for the Georgian society.
EBRD money and nuclear safety in Ukraine: Being a lender does not guarantee leverage
May 12, 2015
The EBRD has denied its role in enabling Ukraine’s ageing units to operate beyond their design lifetime. It has also claimed that through the loan it has important leverage over its client Energoatom to help ensure a proper level of nuclear safety and the compliance with Ukraine’s international commitments in the nuclear energy sector. However, developments in January-May 2015 show the EBRD has been over-optimistic about the role and leverage it has gotten by granting the loan for the safety upgrade project.
Winstar oil and gas fields in southern Tunisia
May 12, 2015
In 2013 Winstar Tunisia, a subsidiary of Serinus Energy, obtained a USD 60 million loan from the EBRD to develop four oil and gas fields in southern Tunisia. In March 2015, Bankwatch met with local authorities, civil society representatives and labour unions in the two southern provinces and identified a number of problematic aspects, most notably the lack of transparency and communication from the side of the company with local stakeholders.
Boskov Most hydropower plant project
May 6, 2015
Following earlier publications about the Boskov Most project’s irreversible impact on nature, this paper provides an overview of the most recent developments concerning the planned HPPs in the Mavrovo national park.
Hydropower in Georgia
May 6, 2015
Since 2011 the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has provided USD 210.5 million to three greenfield hydropower projects (HPP) in Georgia – Paravani, Dariali and Shuakhevi. Instead of bringing improvements on the ground and environmental standards that are on par with best international practice, the EBRD has, by funding these projects, simply justified the wrongdoings that were from the beginning apparent: the degradation of river ecosystems, corruption and threats to people.
Infographic: If energy security is the question … the Euro-Caspian Mega Pipeline is not the answer
April 29, 2015
Europe talks of diversifying energy supplies from Russia by building a set of pipelines from the shores of Azerbaijan’s Caspian Sea to Italy. But the EU’s dependency on Azerbaijan for fossil energy fuels repression and feeds the authoritarian Aliyev regime. All the while, Europe does not need all that gas.
Analysis of Ukraine’s draft national emissions reduction plan
April 26, 2015
The assessment below covers the hard coal fired Large Combustion Plants exceeding 300MWth included in the draft national emissions reduction plan submitted by Ukraine at the 36th Permanent High Level Group meeting of the Energy Community in Vienna.
Letter to European Commission: Request for information on EIB’s involvement in the Transadriatic Pipeline (TAP)
April 9, 2015
Given the size of the Southern Gas Corridor project it is important that its effects on the environment and especially nearby Natura 2000 sites are duely accessed and that the necessary time to conduct public consultation both in the EU-28 countries and outside of the EU-28 as indicated to the Commission during various meetings related to the second list of PCIs preparation.
Letter: EBRD and EURATOM support for life-time extension of Ukraine’s nuclear reactors is in breach of international law
March 30, 2015
In this letter 46 non-governmental organisations alarm European Union representatives involved in the decision-making at the EBRD and Euratom to the fact that Ukraine is pressing ahead with its plans to extend the life-time of its old nuclear reactors even though they are in breach of international law (Espoo Convention) and without proper impact assessments and despite UKraine’s obligations under the loans provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Euratom.
