2018-11-13 00:00:00 | EBRD confirms it will not finance New Kosovo coal plant

Following the World Bank’s recent statement that it will not provide support for the 500 MW New Kosovo coal power plant, the EBRD has now followed suit by confirming that it is not considering support for the project. In an e-mailed statement responding to an enquiry from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), an EBRD spokesperson said “the EBRD indeed is not considering this project”, ending years of uncertainty as to whether the bank would make an exception to its overall energy policy restricting coal financing (CEE Bankwatch Network).

2017-06-14 00:00:00 | Almost none of new coal power plants planned in the Balkans will meet EU pollution standards, according to a new analysis

On 28 April this year, EU officials adopted new technical standards for large combustion plants, the so-called ‘LCP BREF’, which sets out the best available techniques for controlling pollution to air, water and soil, as well as the emission limits that must be achieved by applying these techniques. Bankwatch’s analysis looks at eight coal-fired units totalling 2.6 GW in capacity planned in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia, plus the Stanari plant in Bosnia-Herzegovina which started commercial operation last September. Compared to the air pollution limits set in the BREF, five of the planned units would certainly not meet the new standards, while insufficient information is available for the remaining three.

2016-01-31 00:00:00 | The proposed new Kosovo power plant: an unnecessary burden at an unreasonable price

A report by IEEFA concludes that the World Bank, which has announced its support for a substantial financial subsidy for construction of the coal-fired plant, should invest instead in the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency in Kosovo. IEEFA concludes also that the U.S. government, which has endorsed the project, should cease its support for the misguided introduction of a costly and outdated form of electricity generation.

2015-11-17 00:00:00 | Sierra Club & Kosovar Civil Society react to Kosovo coal plant developments

"After months of waiting, we can now confirm what we already suspected: the Kosovar government and ContourGlobal are putting profits before the people of Kosovo," said Maura Cowley, Associate Director the Sierra Club's International Program. "An adequate assessment of the environmental and social consequences of this project has yet to finish, so there's no good reason for the government to push forward this dirty, dangerous project." (source www.sierraclub.org).

2015-02-04 00:00:00 | ContourGlobal could start building Kosovo power plant in 2016

According to Reuters: ContourGlobal could start building a coal-fired power plant in Kosovo in 18 months, in the first major investment in the country's energy sector in decades aimed at curbing power shortages and creating jobs, an official at the U.S. power company said. The cost of the project is estimated at up to EUR1.4 billion, with a third to be financed by ContourGlobal and the remainder via loans. The New York-based company was the only bidder for the 660 megawatt plant.

2011-07-18 00:00:00 | Energy sector reforms

The two main projects that aim to reform the energy sector in Kosovo are both active. These projects, funded by the World Bank, include:

1. The Clean Up Land Reclamation Project, which works towards cleaning up over 40 years of indisposed ash.

2. The Lignite Power Technical Assistance Project, funded by a World Bank grant of USD10.5 million and a European Commission grant of two million euro, is providing advisory services for the inclusion of private capital in a new lignite mine and the construction of a new power plant.

Plans for the construction of the New Kosovo Plant have been delayed and continue to be delayed for various reasons. There has been ongoing debate concerning what the size the new power plants should be and the phases in which it should be constructed. Furthermore, there has been protest by environmentalists and concerned NGOs within Kosovo and internationally, demanding that Kosovo's energy alternatives be fully evaluated before construction of a lignite dependent plant is underway. These protesting groups argue that sufficient research has not been done into Kosovo's potential for alternative energy, specifically into wind and solar technology.

The World Bank is now hesitating to support a coal-focused energy strategy for Kosovo in light of recent criticism from its involvement with South African utility Eskon building a 4,800 megawatt coal plant.