Kosovo B power station
| Part of the Global Coal Plant Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor project. |
| Related coal trackers: |
Kosovo B power station is an operating power station of at least 680-megawatts (MW) in Obiliq, Kosovo, Kosovo. It is also known as Kosovo power station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Kosovo B power station | Obiliq, Kosovo, Kosovo | 42.69312, 21.056002 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2: 42.69312, 21.056002
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal: lignite | 340 | subcritical | 1983 |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal: lignite | 340 | subcritical | 1984 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Korporata Energjetike e Kosovës JSC [100%][1] | Korporata Energjetike e Kosovës JSC [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Korporata Energjetike e Kosovës JSC [100%][1] | Korporata Energjetike e Kosovës JSC [100.0%] |
Background
The plant is a lignite-fired power station consisting of two units of 340 MW each, commissioned in 1983-1984. The units share a 183 metre tall chimney with 6.8 metre diameter at the top.[2][3] The power plant is operated by Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK).[4]
After conflict in Kosovo in the 1990s, the European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR) invited tenders for the rehabilitation of Kosovo power station unit B2. In June 2000, the contract was won by a consortium of RWE Power International.[5]
The power plant produced 4.05 billion kWh of electricity in 2022 and 3.24 billion kWh in 2023, according to Kosovo Energy Corporation.[4] Coal us supplied from the Sibovc Southwest coal mine.
Kosovo continues to breach the ceilings for all three pollutants (SO2, dust and NOX). Dust emissions have always been the country’s biggest problem, but in 2022 SO2 and NOX emissions also increased significantly compared to 2021, while dust ones stayed almost the same. Kosova B’s two units alone breached the national dust ceiling in 2022 by almost 4 times (3.9), releasing a total of 5,314 tonnes of dust into the atmosphere. Unit B1 alone emitted 6.75 times above its individual ceiling, making it the country’s worst emitter.[6] In 2023, Kosova B’s two units alone breached the national dust ceiling in 2023 by almost four times, releasing a total of 5,934 tonnes of dust into the atmosphere. Unit B2 alone emitted 9.15 times as much as its individual ceiling, making it the country’s worst emitter.[7]
2023 Energy Strategy and Draft NECP
In March 2023, Kosovo's new energy strategy included plans to refurbish both units of Kosovo B power station, in addition to at least one unit of Kosovo A power station by 2024.[8] The Energy Strategy 2022-2031 document published in early 2023 outlined that the plant will be refurbished to maintain the security of supply and decrease emissions. The refurbishment will be carried out in two stages, and by the end of 2025, and respectively 2026, both units will operate in a more efficient, reliable mode, meeting mandatory emission standards of the Industrial Emissions Directive.[9] Another source reported that KEK intended to install a system for cutting nitrogen oxide emissions to levels that would comply with European regulations.[10]
Kosovo presented their draft National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) in July 2023 and the Energy Community Secretariat provided its comments and recommendations in December 2023. The draft NECP mirrors the 2023 Energy Strategy and foresees the refurbishment of both Kosovo B units by 2025 and 2026, respectively. The plan includes reference to the Industrial Emissions Directive, but there are no details of how the existing plants will meet the Directive’s emission limit values from 1 January 2028. There are also no plans of how to achieve significant reductions on pollution from these plants under the Large Combustion Plants Directive, where Kosovo persistently fails to implement its National Emissions Reduction Plan (NERP).[11]
The Energy Secretariat urges Kosovo to commit to phase out coal by 2050 in its final NECP.[12][13] The final NECP has to be presented by June 30, 2024.[13]
The agreement to refurbish the units was signed in April 2023.[14] KEK and General Electric signed an agreement on the modernization of the steam turbines, which is said to extend their service life by another 20 years. Work on modernization of turbine B2 will begin in May 2024 until June, costing EUR 26.1 million. Works on the turbine B1 will run from May to June 2025 and will cost EUR 30.3 million.[15][14] As a result of this modernization, the capacity of the units will increase by 4-17 MW, and after the completion of the works, there will be no need for frequent capital repairs, but only every 8 or 9 years.[14]
As of December 2024, there was no information on the outcome of refurbishment of Unit B2. The final NECP has not yet been presented.
Rolling Blackouts
In August 2022, Kosovo became the first European country to impose temporary grid disconnections on their customers since the war in Ukraine began causing energy security concerns globally. As units at both Kosovo A and Kosovo B power stations were offline for maintenance, output had been too low for the summer heatwave, and rolling blackouts were enforced. Initially, the country hoped to be bailed out by capacity support from neighbouring Albania. However, their hydropower-dominated system was also strained by prolonged drought in the Balkan region.[16]
Incidents
In November 2024, eight people were arrested after an explosive charge damaged a water canal supplying Kosovo B and Kosovo A power station. Power generation was reportedly not affected.[17]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240522210145/http://kek-energy.com/kek/sr/. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "9.1. Energy Situation" Kosovo Ministry of Planning, accessed May 2011
- ↑ "Coal-Fired Plants in Kosovo & Macedonia," Industcards, accessed April 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Korporata Energjetike e Kosovës". kek-energy.com. Retrieved May 2023.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "RWE’s expertise more than doubles the availability at Kosovo B power station" RWE Power Case Study, December 2008.
- ↑ "COMPLY or CLOSE - Five years of deadly legal breaches by Western Balkan coal plants" (PDF). /bankwatch.org. June 2023.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 54 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Comply or Close - 2024 update" (PDF). bankwatch.org. September 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Kosovo* outlines energy transition until 2031 in strategic document" Balkan Green Energy News, March 24, 2023
- ↑ "Energy Strategy of the Republic of Kosovo (p29)". konsultimet.rks-gov.net. January 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Rizvanolli: No new coal plants in Kosovo's* draft energy strategy". balkangreenenergynews.com. April 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Secretariat publishes its Recommendations on the draft National Energy and Climate Plan of Kosovo*". www.energy-community.org. December 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Energy Community urges Kosovo* to commit in its NECP to phasing out coal by 2050". balkangreenenergynews.com. January 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Secretariat publishes its Recommendations on the draft National Energy and Climate Plan of Kosovo*". www.energy-community.org. December 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "KEK and US Company General Electric Sign Agreement". me.rks-gov.net. April 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "КЕК има за циљ да продужи животни век турбина ТЦ "Косова Б" за још 20 година". www.koha.net. August 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Kosovo imposes rolling blackouts amid power supply uncertainty in Western Balkans", Balkan Green Energy News, August 19, 2022.
- ↑ “Kosovo arrests eight linked to canal explosion as tensions with Serbia rise,” Reuters, November 30, 2024
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.
