Off on the wrong foot in Kosovo? A lignite power plant and the EBRD
January 25, 2013
Notwithstanding the dominance of lignite in Kosovo’s energy mix, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development may get involved with yet another lignite project in the Western Balkans.
The EIB’s energy lending in the spotlight
January 14, 2013
The European Investment Bank has opened a review of its energy policy and called for the public’s views on the key future challenges for the bank’s operations. The lending figures to the energy sector until 2011 show that the policy must better guide the EIB’s lending towards EU policy objectives of de-carbonisation of the energy sector.
The newest EBRD member, Kosovo, does not need new coal
December 22, 2012
Pristina – As Kosovo becomes the newest member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development today, civil society groups in the country tell the bank that it should exclude from the start any investments in coal and that it could have an enormous positive impact by supporting energy efficiency measures.
No excuses for the EIB to finance Sostanj
December 21, 2012
Ljubljana — The Slovenian parliament has ratified today – in an extraordinary session, right before the start of the Christmas holidays – the state guarantee contract between the European Investment Bank and the Slovenian government for a 440 million euros loan for the construction of a new coal unit at Sostanj.
Plomin coal power plant, Croatia
December 18, 2012
CANCELLED: after five years of campaigning, plans for Plomin C were dropped in 2016. Croatian plans to more than double the capacity of the Plomin coal power plant would have resulted in increased carbon-emissions for several decades. The project’s profitability was questionable and the plans were facing local opposition and conflicting regional legislation.
Financial alchemy in Slovenia’s energy sector still results in lignite, not gold
December 11, 2012
Even with the latest investment plan for unit 6 at the Sostanj lignite power plant (TES 6), the project’s economics are (surprise, surprise) still distinctly shaky as an independent analysis shows. Nonetheless, the project looks ever more likely to get a state guarantee from the Slovene government.
Dirty coal gets closer to receiving almost half a billion euros from EU taxpayers
December 3, 2012
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is gearing up to pay 440 million euros to a new 600 MW lignite plant in Slovenia at a time when calls for an end to subsidies for fossil fuels are intensifying all over the world.
‘Comments noted’, business as usual continues. The marginal public influence on the EBRD’s new mining policy
November 2, 2012
After long delays and more than 3 years of preparation the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has finally completed and published a policy for its operations in the mining sector. Both the consultation process and the final outcome must leave “the consulted stakeholders” disappointed.
When loyalty blocks climate action – Polish parliament pledges allegiance
October 17, 2012
The Polish government has a sad reputation for adopting unilateral, even obscure approaches when it comes to our country’s energy policy. What now came as a very disappointing surprise is that the Polish parliament joined the opportunistic chorus of denial – one that considers alternatives to the continued reliance on fossil fuels as a threat to Poland’s security.
Przeciwnicy odkrywek przyjadą do Lubina
September 21, 2012
Polscy przeciwnicy budowy kopalń odkrywkowych węgla brunatnego zyskują nowych sojuszników. Poparcie otrzymali już od podobnych organizacji działających w Niemczech, przedstawiciele kolejnych krajów deklarują pomoc w walce z odkrywkami w Polsce i Europie