[Campaign update] Ekotim files lawsuit on poor quality environmental permit for Banovici thermal power plant

Bosnia and Herzegovina NGO Ekotim has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism in relation to an addendum to the environmental permit for the planned 300 MW Banovici lignite power plant near Tuzla.

While analysing the original environmental permit for the plant issued in November 2012, Ekotim noticed that no limits had been stipulated for emissions to air of SO2, NOx and dust and alerted the Ministry in a letter sent in October this year. In response the Ministry issued an addendum to the permit on 24 November which however is not in line with the regulation on emission limit values for large combustion plants issued by the same Ministry. The addendum wrongly categorises the capacity of the plant and as a result sets less strict emissions limit values than legally required. Since there is no right to challenge such a decision directly, Ekotim is using the only means of addressing this mistake, through an administrative court procedure.

“The Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism has been issuing more and more environmental permits recently, and this is not the first time mistakes have been made”, points out Rijad Tikvesa of Ekotim. “Environmental permits can be a useful tool when drawn up by experts and well enforced, but quality must come before quantity”, he added.