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EBRD blogs

How much will the Macedonian hydropower plant Boskov Most really cost?
December 5, 2014

The total costs of the Boskov Most hydropower plant project in Macedonia will possibly cost more than twice the projected EUR 84 million, considering that many aspects have so far not been studied or remain unresolved.

EBRD
Energy & climate
Other harmful projects
Balkan lynx, Balkans, biodiversity, costs, economics, ELEM, EU neighbourhood, hydropower, Mavrovo national park, rivers
Energy security for Europe or profit for Lukoil?
December 4, 2014

Despite the Russian invasion in Ukraine leading to EU and US sanctions against Moscow and major Russian energy companies, public banks supported by EU countries are just gearing up to offer a one billion dollar loan to Russian company Lukoil for gas extraction in Azerbaijan.

EBRD
ADB
Energy & climate
Social & economic impacts
Caucasus, EU neighbourhood, fossil fuels, gas, human rights, Lukoil, oil, Shah Deniz, Southern Gas Corridor
Two great new websites on all things coal
October 31, 2014

As anti-coal movements are gaining momentum around the world, two new websites offer a slew of information about the dirtiest of fossil fuels and the campaigns against it. They also offer a stark reminder that despite progress in the last years coal is far from dead.

Chinese investors
Commercial banks
EBRD
EIB
World Bank Group
Energy & climate
Balkans, BankTrack, campaign, Central Asia, coal, commercial banks, endcoal.org, EU, Global South, resources
Zagreb Mayor arrested - and not before time
October 20, 2014

Something quite amazing happened yesterday evening in Zagreb. The Croatian police and the State Prosecutor announced that several people had been arrested on suspicion of a number of criminal corruption offences, abuse of office and peddling influence. Among the arrested were Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic, Head of Zagreb Holding municipal company Slobodan Ljubicic, the head of the ZET public transport company Ivan Tolic, head and part-owner of the CIOS metal recycling company Petar Pripuza and around 15 more un-named people.

EBRD
EIB
Social & economic impacts
Balkans, corruption, mayor, Milan Bandic, PPP, wastewater, Zagreb
Flood impacts kept secret by hydropower plant constructor in Georgia
October 6, 2014

Georgian Urban Energy (GUE), the company in charge of constructing the Paravani hydropower plant (HPP), has been keeping secret a study on the potential flooding risks associated with the facility, despite requests and promises from the EBRD that such an analysis would be made public.

EBRD
Social & economic impacts
accountability, Caucasus, EU neighbourhood, Georgian Urban Energy, hydropower, local communities, local impacts, Paravani, participation, risks, transparency
On Evgeny Vitishko, multilateral development banks and the criminalisation of public criticism
September 26, 2014

The recent rejection to release Evgeny Vitishko's, an imprisoned environmental activist in Russia, illustrates the backlash against fundamental rights and freedoms in some countries. Multilateral development banks need to take notice of this trend and be more wary of the risk that their lending may strengthen authoritarian regimes.

EBRD
EIB
World Bank Group
Social & economic impacts
Caucasus, Central Asia, civil society, democracy, Environmental Watch on North Caucasus, EU neighbourhood, Evgeny Vitishko, freedom, human rights, reprression, Russia, Sochi, transition
Serbian energy sector needs overhaul
September 10, 2014

The news portal Deutsche Welle has visited the Kolubara lignite mine in Serbia and produced a short clip about the difficulties faced by the Serbian energy sector.

Our Serbian colleague Nikola Perusic speaks in the video about the terrible landslide that happened in May 2013.

EBRD
Energy & climate
Social & economic impacts
Balkans, Deutsche Welle, energy, EU neighbourhood, floods, Kolubara, landslide, lignite, Serbia, video
Second fatal landslide in Georgian Dariali valley
August 22, 2014

While likely not the cause, the EBRD-financed Dariali hydropower plant is being constructed without proper assessment or mitigation of known geological risks. The construction must be halted to avoid further damage.

EBRD
Social & economic impacts
Other harmful projects
casualties, catastrophy, Caucasus, Dariali, EU neighbourhood, hydropower, landslide, risk assessment, safety
Sharing the shale experience
July 29, 2014

Shale gas has become a focal point of interest for central and eastern European governments, with oil corporations (not only) from the West ready to start drilling as soon as possible. But protests have sparked across the region from Zurawlow in Poland to Pungesti in Romania. We spoke with two anti-fracking activists working on the Neuquén province in Argentina where the struggles of local communities against conventional oil and gas exploration are now amplified by even more problems related to unconventional fuels.

EBRD
Energy & climate
Social & economic impacts
CEE, climate, energy, extractive industries, protests, shale, shale gas
City of Zagreb still playing with fire
July 18, 2014

Seasoned Bankwatch-watchers may recall our successful four-year campaign to stop the EBRD from financing a waste incinerator just outside Zagreb. Between 2005 and 2008, we supported Zelena akcija/Friends of the Earth Croatia and local group UZOR to prevent the City of Zagreb from building a huge 385 000 tonnes per year waste incinerator in Resnik on the outskirts of Croatia's capital.

EBRD
EIB
Resource efficiency
EU, recycling, waste, waste incineration, Zagreb

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