China stokes global coal growth
September 23, 2016
Chinese companies and banks are continuing to drive global coal expansion, as state owned companies, backed by state loans, build coal-fired power plants across the world. This is despite commitments from China’s top leaders to deliver clean energy and
[Campaign update] Montenegro’s Pljevlja coal plant is running out of time to secure financing
September 22, 2016
The Czech daily Hospodarske Noviny (English: “Economic Newspaper”) is reporting today that the Czech Export Bank (CEB) and export insurance agency EGAP may not be be able to finance the Pljevlja II lignite power plant in Montenegro due to new OECD rules entering force on 1 January 2017.
China is pushing for the Balkans, Bosnia launches a Chinese coal-fired power plant
September 22, 2016
The first fully private power plant in the Western Balkans has launched commercial supplies into the grid. The 300 MW coal-fired power plant, funded by China’s Development Bank, was put into operation on Tuesday. China thus strengthens its economic inf
Outrage as British Diplomats Endorse New Coal Plant Abroad, Despite Coal Phase-Out Commitment at Home
September 21, 2016
A British diplomat has come under fire for celebrating Europe’s newest coal plant, in spite of UK government efforts to phase-out coal on home turf. Source: Outrage as British Diplomats Endorse New Coal Plant Abroad, Despite Coal Phase-Out Commitment a
TE Stanari – the last TE on coal?
September 21, 2016
Regionalna politika prema ugljenu opire se raciju i ekonomici – BiH planira gradnju najmanje četiri elektrane, a možda i njih sedam, Crna Gora gura neisplativ projekt TE Pljevlja 2, a Kosovo valjda planira svoje stanovništvo opljačkati zlosretnom TE Ko
Guest post: The last coal plant in the Western Balkans?
September 20, 2016
The Stanari lignite power plant in Bosnia officially starts operations today. If we are to have any hope of tackling climate change, it had better be the last one in the region.
[Campaign update] Impact Assessment of Serbian Kostolac B3 coal plant nullified, two investigative reports published
August 3, 2016
Two reports by the Serbian Center for Investigative Journalism take stock of the problems surrounding the planned Kostolac B3 lignite power plant, including a recent court decision that cancelled the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment.
Montenegrin power plant feasible only with creative accounting
August 1, 2016
Just as everyone else was going on holiday, on Friday night the Montenegrin parliament approved two decisions laying the ground for the controversial Pljevlja II lignite power plant. But a look at the project documentation released by the government shows that the project’s economics only add up with some giant leaps of faith.
Balkan energy projects with Chinese involvement – state of play
July 31, 2016
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Romania all plan new lignite power plants during the next few years. In contrast, most EU countries are giving up building new coal plants and seven EU states are already coal-free. Since the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank have virtually halted lending for new coal power plants, most of them are due to be financed by Chinese state banks – ExIm Bank and the China Development Bank.
A ray of light for communities in Serbia’s coal heartland
July 22, 2016
For more than 50 years, the lignite mines in Serbia’s Kolubara basin have been expanding, effectively engulfing the few small communities living between them. For local residents, whose homes have quite literally been teetering on the brink of the mines, life has become unbearable. But a recent court ruling might be paving the way to a long overdue reprieve for residents who have been promised to be relocated.