Morava power station
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Morava power station is an operating power station of at least 120-megawatts (MW) in Svilajnac, Pomoravlje, Serbia with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Morava power station | Svilajnac, Svilajnac, Pomoravlje, Serbia | 44.223826, 21.163148 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- 1, Unit 1: 44.223826, 21.163148
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelved[1][2] | fossil gas: natural gas[2] | 120[2] | combined cycle[2] | not found | – | – |
| Unit 1 | Operating | coal: lignite | 120 | subcritical | – | 1969 | 2024 (planned)[3] |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD [100%] | Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD [100.0%] |
| Unit 1 | 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 one-unit coal plant began operating in 1969. The power station is owned and operated by Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), a government owned utility.[4]
Coal supply
Coal for the plant is supplied by an EPS subsidiary, MB Kolubara plc, which operates four coal mines -- the Polje B mine, the Polje D mine, the Tamnava Istok mine and the Tamnava Zapad mine.[5]
In early 2022, financial and energy security concerns prompted the announcement that four million tons of coal would need to be imported for Elektroprivreda Srbije's plants to operate. The coal system was facing instability throughout the region.[6]
Fatal Accident
In January 2022, a subcontractor was fatally injured while working at the plant's slag heap. According to reports, Elektroprivreda Srbije did not properly notify the community of the incident, and the police did not disclose the record.[7]
Proposed coal phase out
In December 2021, it was reported that state-owned power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) intended to convert its Morava thermal power plant from coal to fossil gas. Coal power plant Morava was expected to shut down by the end of 2023. It was operating under the opt-out mechanism, an implementation alternative under the EU’s Large Combustion Plants Directive (LCPD) which provides the possibility for an exemption of individual plants from national compliance regimes. In exchange, the plants cannot be operated for more than 20,000 operational hours between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2023.[8]
As of January 2024, there was no news on the gas conversion and it appeared that a Morava solar farm of 45 MW will be developed instead.[9] The expected deadline for the completion of documentation as well as obtaining the building permit for the solar plant was said to be the end of 2025.[10] As of May 2024, there was no news on the planned retirement of the coal unit by the end of 2024.
In July 2024, the Draft Energy Sector Development Strategy up to 2040 stated that by 2030, the Morava plant will be either shut down or put in reserve.[11][12] "In the period until 2030, thermal power plants whose further operation would not be possible or justified will be decommissioned, taking into account the age of the machines and other techno-economic parameters. Morava will be either decommissioned or put in state of reserve shutdown."[12]
In October 2024, Elektroprivreda Srbije launched a tender for project design for mothballing Morava plant and Kolubara A power station and submitting a request to determine the need for an assessment of the environmental impact of the suspension of the two facilities. According to the tender documentation, the units are to be put into a strategic reserve. They would be maintained in such a condition that would allow recommissioning in case of extraordinary circumstances in the power system. The units must cease operation because they have not met the emissions standard under the European Union’s Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD). The Morava plant would be considered for placement in cold reserve or decommissioning.[13] The exact timing to mothball the plant was not known.
Unlawful Operation
Bankwatch report from June 2023 reported that by the end of 2022, Morava had operated for a total of 23 051 hours since 2018 and continued to operate to this day. A complaint by the Renewables and Environmental Regulatory Institute and CEE Bankwatch Network challenging Serbia’s failure to comply with pollution control rules under the Energy Community Treaty was recorded by the the Energy Community Secretariat.[14]Earlier in February 2023 EPS stated that Morava plant will be shut down by the end of 2024.[15]
In October 2023, the Energy Community Secretariat initiated a dispute settlement procedure against Serbia over its refusal to close the Morava power station despite the expiry of its opt-out mechanism period.[16] June 2023 report on increasing pollution levels by Balkan coal plants highlighted that sulphur dioxide emissions from the Morava plant quadrupled in 2022.[17]
Serbia kept Morava power plant running for 3,867 hours in 2023, in breach of the ‘opt-out’ derogation. Serbia kept its antiquated Morava power plant running for 3,867 hours in 2023, in breach of the ‘opt-out’ derogation. [18]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220709033211/https://teitimes.com/post/eps-of-serbia-to-convert-morava-power-plant-from-coal-to-gas. Archived from the original on 09 July 2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20221213142335/https://balkangreenenergynews.com/eps-to-convert-coal-fired-power-plant-morava-to-natural-gas/. Archived from the original on 13 December 2022.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 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) - ↑ "Serbia", Eurocoal, accessed July 2011
- ↑ "About Us: Basic Data: Economic Assosiation for Coal Production, processing and Transport MB Kolubara plc", Elektroprivreda Srbije website, accessed July 2011
- ↑ "Serbia: EPS must also import coal", Serbia Energy, May 22, 2022
- ↑ "Nasilna smrt radnika u TE „Morava“: Šta je razlog izostanka zvaničnog saopštenja?," Danas, February 3, 2022
- ↑ "EPS to convert coal-fired power plant Morava to natural gas," Balkan Green Energy News, December 13, 2021
- ↑ "Serbia's EPS gets EU grants for solar plant projects within coal complexes". balkangreenenergynews.com. December 2022.
{{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 publishes Draft Energy Sector Development Strategy up to 2040". balkangreenenergynews.com. July 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Energy Sector Development Strategy of the Republic of Serbia up to 2040 with Projections up to 2050" (PDF). www.mre.gov.rs. July 2024.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 35 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Serbia's EPS to mothball Morava, Kolubara coal power plants for strategic reserve". balkangreenenergynews.com. October 23, 2024. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Serbia: Complaints over illegal operation of Morava coal power plant". bankwatch.org. June 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "EPS sets out plan for shutting down coal power plants". balkangreenenergynews.com. February 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Energy Community opens case against Serbia for refusing to close TPP Morava," Balkan Green Energy News, October 24, 2023
- ↑ "Coal plants in Western Balkans increase pollution, legal breaches in 2022". /balkangreenenergynews.com. June 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Comply or Close - 2024 Update" (PDF). bankwatch.org. September 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
