Kolubara A power station
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Kolubara A power station is an operating power station of at least 239-megawatts (MW) in Veliki Crljeni, Lazarevac, Beograd, Serbia with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Kolubara A power station | Veliki Crljeni, Lazarevac, Beograd, Serbia | 44.480312, 20.293538 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5: 44.480312, 20.293538
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal: lignite | 32 | subcritical | 1956 | 2024 (planned)[1] |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal: lignite | 32 | subcritical | 1957 | 2024 (planned)[1] |
| Unit 3 | operating[1] | coal: lignite | 65 | subcritical | 1961 | 2024 (planned) |
| Unit 4 | mothballed | coal: lignite | 32 | subcritical | 1961 | 2024 (planned)[1] |
| Unit 5 | operating | coal: lignite | 110 | subcritical | 1979 | 2024 (planned)[1] |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD [100%] | Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD [100%] | Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD [100%] | Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD [100%] | Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD [100.0%] |
| Unit 5 | Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD [100%] | Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): Polje B mine, Polje D mine, Tamnava Istok mine, Tamnava Zapad mine
Background
The power station is owned and operated by Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), a government-owned utility.[2]
It was put into operation in 1956 with two units of 32 MW each. In 1960, third unit was commissioned with 65 MW, and the following year, in 1961, another 32 MW unit was put into operation. In 1979, the fifth unit of 110 MW unit was commissioned and total installed capacity reached 271 MW.[3]
EPS's website and a media report from 2023 refer to the plant's capacity at 239 MW[4][5] , which is 32 MW lower than the original capacity of 271 MW. It appears that one of the 32 MW units was mothballed as EPS's website still refers to 5 units.[4]
Based on the company's technical reports, net capacity of the station decreased between 2014 and 2015 and remained at that level, as of 2022.[6][7] Unit 4 is presumed mothballed around this date based on these reports and earlier sources.[2]
The plant produced 309 GWh in 2022.[7]
Coal supply
Coal for the plant is supplied from Kolubara Mine Complex.
Through the end of 2021 and beginning of 2022, Serbia faced issues with poor quality coal. Imported coal was necessary to keep the grid operating.[8]
Proposed coal phase out
In 2021, state-owned power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) said that in line with the obligations set out in the Energy Community Treaty and in line with the National Emissions Reduction Plan (NERP), Kolubara A may terminate production after 2023. EPS announced a tender in May 2021 for a study on the construction of solar power plants on the ash dumps of Morava power station and Kolubara A power station.[9]
Reporting as of January 2022 cited the possibility of decommissioning the plant partially or fully in 2022 and 2023.[10]
Following the announcement of the power station's anticipated closure, mine and power plant workers protested the decision. Soon after, the Ministry of Mining and Energy stated that they would establish a commission for just transition that would develop a plan for thermal energy generation until 2050.[11]
As of January 2023, Elektroprivreda Srbije had plans to replace the power station with a 71 MW solar farm Kolubara A solar farm.[12][13]
In February 2023, EPS announced that Kolubara power station will be shut down by the end of 2024.[5] However, as of May 2024 there was no further news on the planned closure of the plant. The corporate newspaper of EPS from May 2024 referred to the repairs programs of the units during summer 2024 with no mention of the plant retirement.[14]
In March 2024, EPS announced a tender for the preparation of planning documents for the solar plant, the expected deadline for the completion of investment-technical and spatial-planning documentation, as well as obtaining a building permit, is the end of 2025.[15]
Draft NECP (2023): No New Coal
It was reported in April 2023 that Serbia was soon expected to officially announce its intention to phase out coal as soon as possible or by the end of 2050 at the latest. The obligations to decarbonize and shut down thermal power plants are part of a bill on the ratification of a contract on guarantees for the EUR 300 million loan that Elektroprivreda Srbije secured from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).[16]
In July 2023, Serbia’s draft National Energy and Climate Plan was on public consultation. As Bankwatch summarized, no new coal plants seemed to be planned after Kostolac B3, but there was no information about the phase-out timetable for existing plants.[17] In November 2023, Energy Community Secretariat released comments and recommendations on the draft NECP.[18] Serbia should present the final draft by June 2024.[18]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 https://web.archive.org/web/20240212214801/https://balkangreenenergynews.com/eps-sets-out-plan-for-shutting-down-coal-power-plants/. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Elektroprivreda Srbije, "Facilities for electric power generation: Facilities for electric power generation: Thermal Power Plants Nikola Tesla - TPP "Kolubara" plc", Elektroprivreda Srbije website, accessed July 2011
- ↑ "Производни капацитети". www.eps.rs. unknown.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Thermal power plants". www.eps.rs. unknown.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 "EPS sets out plan for shutting down coal power plants". balkangreenenergynews.com. February 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Technical reports 2014 and 2015". www.eps.rs/. 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 "2022 Technical Report" (PDF). www.eps.rs. 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "EPS će rekonstruisati TENT B2 tek 2025, a projekat za blokove A1 i A2 na ledu", Balkan Green Energy News, April 27, 2022
- ↑ "EPS to convert coal-fired power plant Morava to natural gas," Balkan Green Energy News, December 13, 2021
- ↑ "RERI – Razbijanje mita: hronologija upotrebe uglja u Srbiji," Energetski Portal, January 2, 2022
- ↑ "Srbija između izbacivanja uglja i protesta radnika," Radio Slobodna Evropa, May 26, 2021
- ↑ "Po zatvaranju termoelektrana Morava i Kolubara A, na njihovim pepelištima u planu izgradnja solarnih elektrana," eKapija, January 9, 2023
- ↑ "Serbia's EPS gets EU grants for solar plant projects within coal complexes". balkangreenenergynews.com. December 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "EPS - Energija EPS May 2024" (PDF). www.eps.rs. May 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Naručeni urbanistički projekti za gradnju solarnih elektrana Kolubara A i Morava - Građevinske dozvole krajem sledeće godine". www.ekapija.com. March 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Serbia to officially commit to phasing out coal by 2050". balkangreenenergynews.com. April 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Serbia’s draft NECP: What is the actual plan?" Bankwatch, July 17, 2023
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "RECOMMENDATIONS 1/2023 by the Energy Community Secretariat on the Draft integrated National Energy and Climate Plan of the Republic of Serbia" (PDF). www.energy-community.org. November 2023.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 59 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
