Energy lending in south-eastern Europe

South-eastern Europe is riddled with poor planning and corruption in the energy sector and its governments are proving slow to react to the challenges and opportunities offered by the decarbonisation agenda.

Above: planned coal power plants in south-eastern Europe

This should be an opportunity for international lenders like the EBRD, the EIB and the World Bank to promote energy efficiency and sustainable renewables to shift the region's energy sectors towards lower carbon emissions.

So far, however, it is only happening in a few positive exceptions as our study and the projects that we monitor show.

Infographic

The damaging Projects of Energy Community Interest (click to see full size)

Note: This infographic is out of date. It contains projects that were not accepted as priority projects. For comparison, see the final list of approved PECIs.

The European Energy Community

The European Energy Community was established between the EU and a number of third countries in order to extend the EU internal energy market to south-eastern Europe and beyond. (Members include the EU, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Moldova, Kosovo, plus Ukraine.)

The Community's priority projects, however, are set to include several environmentally damaging coal and hydropower projects that will be fast-tracked for financing over the next years.

Read more:
Dirty power plants in Europe's Neighbourhood set to become EU priority
Press release | October 22, 2013

Western Balkans and Ukraine: EC-backed Energy Community to prioritise coal plants that threaten EU long-term climate targets (pdf)
Briefing | October 22, 2013

Blog entry | 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.

Energy & climate

Tags: Balkans, coal, Energy Community, Energy Union, EU neighbourhood, Maroš Šefčovič, state aid, stranded assets

Activists help put the brakes on Balkan hydro projects

Bankwatch in the media | August 27, 2015

Balkan governments are under mounting pressure to curb the construction of hydropower plants (HPPs) in national parks and wildlife areas, where hundreds of projects are planned or underway.

Environmental campaigners have already scored successes in halting new HPPs. In late July, Croatia’s environment ministry rejected Hrvatska Elektroprivreda’s impact study for its 68-MW Ombla HPP near historic Dubrovnik,

Courts in Republika Srpska (RS) have twice this year backed activists’ claims that environmental assessments on proposed plants in the Sutjeska National Park were flawed.

Energy & climate

Balkans

Tags: Balkans, Boskov Most, Energy Community, hydropower, Mavrovo national park, Ombla

Guest post: Croatia and the Energy Union: the European Commission's unwarranted obsession with gas

Blog entry | August 20, 2015

Building the Energy Union, the European Commission pretends that all is well for renewables in Croatia and unnecessarily fixates on diversifying gas supply instead of managing demand.

Energy & climate

Resource efficiency

Tags: Balkans, Croatia, energy efficiency, Energy Union, EU, gas, Maroš Šefčovič, Ombla, Plomin, solar

[Campaign update] Ombla hydropower plant nature impact assessment rejected

Blog entry | August 10, 2015

The Croatian Ministry of Environment and Nature Protection has refused Hrvatska Elektroprovreda (HEP)'s nature impact assessment for the Ombla hydropower project near Dubrovnik.

Social & economic impacts

Other harmful projects

Tags: Balkans, biodiversity, EU, HEP, hydropower, Ombla

Resavica: Serbia's canary in the coal mine

Blog entry | July 13, 2015

After decades of powering Serbia it seems the coal business in the country is on life support. Yet policymakers in Belgrade refuse to consider alternative sources of energy.

Energy & climate

Tags: BalkanCoal, Balkans, coal, resavica, Serbia