Balkans are gambling on coal as EU utilities opt out
April 12, 2017
Eurelectric members have pledged to build no new coal power stations from 2020. So why do firms in Serbia and Bosnia still think they can make coal pay?
Western Balkans are massively expanding coal power – but the new plants may have to be closed again soon
March 29, 2017
Plans for new lignite power plants in Western Balkan countries do not take into account the effect of CO2 prices, according to a new Bankwatch study. As a result, the plants risk becoming uncompetitive in the future, with taxpayers footing the bill.
Overlooked carbon costs could turn Western Balkans’ new coal power plants into white elephants – analysis
March 29, 2017
A new Bankwatch analysis examining ten coal-fired power plant projects across the Western Balkans finds that, once the cost of carbon emissions allowances are factored in, they could become a serious liability for both the companies involved and the public. Moreover, only a few feasibility assessments for coal power plants in the region are publicly available, and most of those have failed to properly take carbon costs into account, the briefing authors note.
Carbon costs for planned coal power plants in the Western Balkans and the risk of stranded assets
March 29, 2017
This briefing analyses ten coal-fired power plant projects across the Western Balkans and finds that, once the cost of carbon emissions allowances are factored in, they could become a serious liability for both the companies involved and the public.
Europe’s Keystone XL: Planned gas pipeline is reckless
April 15, 2016
The Southern Gas Corridor risks locking in higher fossil fuel dependence and wasting colossal amounts of public money.
The Western Balkans and the Energy Union: Will the EU address carbon lock-in beyond its borders?
August 27, 2015
The Energy Union must find ways to prevent state support for the production of fossil fuel energy by the European Union’s immediate neighbours. The EU cannot afford to have newly acceding members holding up progress towards the new 2030 climate goals or watering down future policy making.
European funding for a Lukoil gas project in Azerbaijan tramples the EU’s commitment to both climate action and human rights
July 23, 2015
A USD 500 million loan for the share of Russian gas giant Lukoil in a major gas project in Azerbaijan has been approved yesterday by the Board of Directors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Yet, the decision will significantly hinder Europe’s commitments to decarbonise as well as to advance democracy.
After Slovenia’s Sostanj coal power plant debacle, is any bank going to finance Croatia’s Plomin C?
June 12, 2015
Slovenia’s newly built Sostanj 6 is expected to generate losses of around EUR 200 million over the next 3-4 years. Given that Croatia’s Plomin C project shares some of Sostanj 6’s features could Croatia be about to repeat its neighbour’s mistakes?
Where will all that power go? New study assesses extravagant energy ambitions in the western Balkans
May 14, 2015
Western Balkan countries have ambitious plans to increase their electricity generation over the next years. But what will happen if they all become a regional energy hub? Will there be a demand for all the available electricity?
Western Balkans electricity plans: where will all that power go?
March 23, 2015
Western Balkan countries have ambitious plans to increase their electricity generation over the next years. But what will happen if they all become a regional energy hub? Will there be a demand for all the available electricity?