Buk Bijela dam and the Upper Drina cascade
August 21, 2018
Backed by a state-owned energy company, Buk Bijela has the necessary support and privileges to to be pushed forward in violation of the national legislation and international conventions.
A tale of two communities successfully resisting the Balkan hydropower tsunami
July 31, 2018
Two communities in central Bosnia have had reasons to celebrate within the last few weeks as they achieved major victories in their campaigns against small hydropower plants near Fojnica and Kruscica. Bankwatch joined them to see what lies behind their success.
Court complaints launched against Bosnia-Herzegovina hydropower permits
July 26, 2018
Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Nikšić, Podgorica, Prague – The Aarhus Resource Centre Sarajevo has submitted two court complaints [1] to the District Court in Banja Luka against the environmental permits for the Buk Bijela and Foča hydropower plants on the river Drina in Bosnia-Herzegovina near the border with Montenegro.
Low-carbon transition as it should be: three steps for the EBRD to have fewer headaches with hydropower projects
May 10, 2018
While it is positive that banks want to finance the much-needed transition away from coal towards renewable energy in the Balkans, it is crucial to ensure that the cure is not worse than the disease. Most of the projects planned in the Balkans are smal …
Money flows, rivers dry
March 22, 2018
Erste, Sberbank and the EBRD have been fueling the destruction of 27 km of rivers in the region of Josanicka banja, on the borders of the Kopaonik National Park in Serbia. It is a stark warning how the future of the Balkans might look if uncontrolled investment continues.
Dabrova Dolina, Croatia
March 19, 2018
Why even small hydropower plants shouldn’t be built in protected areas.
Financing for hydropower in protected areas of southeast Europe: update
March 16, 2018
Multilateral development banks have supported no fewer than 82 hydropower projects across southeast Europe, including in protected areas. The study finds that the number of hydropower projects in the region that enjoy financial support from multilatera …
International banks fuelling a hydropower tsunami that’s decimating pristine Balkan rivers – study
March 16, 2018
Radolfzell, Vienna, Prague – Multilateral development banks have supported no fewer than 82 hydropower projects across southeast Europe, including in protected areas, according to a study by CEE Bankwatch Network released today.
Broken rivers. The impacts of European-financed small hydropower plants on pristine Balkan landscapes
December 19, 2017
Eight hydropower projects in Albania, Croatia and Macedonia financed with European public money have damaged biodiversity and are in urgent need of increased monitoring and restoration measures.
From Enver Hoxha to the EBRD (and back) – hydropower in Albania
June 7, 2017
Enver Hoxha, the former communist dictator in Albania, ruled in such a bizarre way that he found himself ostracised by other communist rulers. Among others he flooded the country of 3 million people with 750 000 concrete bunkers. Those bunkers were bui …
