Publications on coal

Bankwatch and our partner organisations have undertaken independent dust monitoring in Balkan countries and we have found worrying levels of particulate matter (PM 10 and PM 2.5), dust so small it enters deep into our lungs and blood streams causing irreversible damage and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

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.

Mongolia’s fragile economic situation, with its high deficit and increasing foreign debt, is putting the country on a risk map for foreign investment. Even so, the government and international financial institutions show no sign of adjusting their plans so that the country could move to a more sustainable path of development.

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.