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Ugljevik power station is an operating power station of at least 300-megawatts (MW) in Ugljevik, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Ugljevik 3; previous expansion called Ugljevik 2 (Expansion Unit 1, Expansion Unit 2).
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Ugljevik power station | Ugljevik, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina | 44.683446, 18.968516 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Expansion Unit 1, Expansion Unit 2: 44.683446, 18.968516
- Unit 1: 44.682187, 18.967371
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expansion Unit 1 | pre-permit | coal: lignite | 350 | unknown | – |
| Expansion Unit 2 | pre-permit | coal: lignite | 350 | unknown | – |
| Unit 1 | operating | coal: lignite | 300 | supercritical | 1985 |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Expansion Unit 1 | Comsar Energy Republika Sprska doo [100%][1] | Comsar Energy Group [90.0%]; Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske AD |
| Expansion Unit 2 | Comsar Energy Republika Sprska doo [100%][1] | Comsar Energy Group [90.0%]; Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske AD |
| Unit 1 | Rudnik i Termoelektrana Ugljevik AD [100%][2] | Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske AD |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): Ugljevik Coal Mine
Background
The 300 MW plant began operating in 1985 in the city of Ugljevik, situated in the foothills of the Mount Majevica. The city is named after coal - "ugalj" - which has been mined since 1899. Construction of the first unit was underway in 1976. A second unit was also underway, but construction was halted during the Bosnian war. The plant is considered a sister unit to Gacko Thermal Power Plant.[3]
The plant is owned and operated by RiTE Ugljevik, a subsidiary of Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske.
The plant produced 1,484 GWh in 2023, meeting its business plan.[4]
Despite having obtained an operating permit for its EUR 85 million de-SOX unit in November 2021, Ugljevik power plant emitted the highest absolute amount of SO2 in 2023 – 97,189 tonnes. This represented an increase compared to 2022. The company admitted that the de-SOX is not working mainly because it is an ‘economic burden’, and also due to a lack of disposal facilities for the gypsum that results from the process. The desulphurisation equipment clearly did not work regularly during 2023, despite testing having reportedly finished successfully in August 2024. It looks increasingly doubtful that thisproject will ever be properly utilised to bring the Ugljevik plant into compliance with its SO2 ceilings and with the Industrial Emissions Directive limit values it needs to reach by 2027.[5]
The plant has temporarily suspended operations in December 2024 due to unavailability of coal and coal quality issues. The lack of coal is the result of long-term problems, among which is the expropriation of land, which led to a decrease in the amount of coal in landfills and the impossibility of mine development.[6]
Ugljevik 3 power station expansion
In August 2012, Comsar Energy Republika Srpska – a joint venture company between Comsar Energy (90%) with RiTE Ugljevik (10%), a subsidiary of Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske (ERS) – was unveiled. The company was formed to add two new 300 megawatt (MW) coal-fired units to the existing 300 MW power station.[7]
In September 2012, the company's environmental impact statement was submitted to the government. The government released a statement announcing that a public hearing on the project would be held on October 10.[8]
In 2014, Comsar Energy Republika Srpska said the company had begun the construction of the Ugljevik 3 power station, with a projected operation date of 2016.[9]The station would be fuelled by brown coal from new surface mines in Delići, Peljave-Tobut, and Baljak in the Ugljevik basin, which would be built simultaneously alongside the plant by Comsar Energy, with plans for a total annual coal production of 3.5 million tonnes.[9] According to local observers, construction had not begun as of October 2014.
In January 2015, China National Electric Engineering Company signed an MOU with the government of Republic of Srpska, BiH to develop the Ugljevik 3 power station.[10] As of October 2016, the plant was still seeking financing and facing lawsuits challenging its permit as incongruous with EU regulations of new coal plants.[11]
In July 2017, the Supreme Court of the Republika Srpska Entity cancelled the environmental permit based on a court challenge by the Center for Environment from Banja Luka. However, the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology responded by issuing another permit without repeating the environmental impact assessment process. This second permit was also challenged in court by the Center for Environment, and annulled in June 2019.[12]
In May 2019, Comsar Energy announced the company was leaving Bosnia & Herzegovina, and terminating all existing projects and investments there, including Ugljevik. Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske was reportedly interested in buying Comsar's shares in the coal plant project.[13]
However, in early 2021, the Government of Republika Srpska extended Comsar Energy’s concession for construction and operation of Ugljevik 3 from 30 to 44 years. According to local campaigners, this occurred despite the fact that the concession agreement was violated on several occasions because permits were not obtained or preparation works started.[14]
On June 18, 2021, China National Electric Engineering Corp signed an EPC contract to build the 2x350 MW thermal plant + open pit coal mine. The deal was signed with a Polish company called Sunningwell International LTD.[15][16]
Even though firms from China and Poland signed a construction agreement just two months earlier, Comsar Energy was reportedly negotiating a takeover according to September 2021 news.[17]
In September 2021, China announced it would stop developing new coal power projects outside of its own borders.[18] In January 2022, it was reported that Chinese bank loans will not be available for the Ugljevik project.[19]
In March 2022, the Center for the Environment from Banja Luka sued the Ministry of the Republika Srpska over the approval of a third environmental impact study. The study was finalized in December 2021. While Comsar was still actively seeking new funders, the Center called into question the viability of new funding and where the funding for the study itself had come from. It was expected that forward progress on the project would be halted until court proceedings occurred. The Center's announcement stated that the expansion "has no future".[20]
In July 2022, Minister of Energy and Mining of the Republic of Srpska Petar Đokić said he doubted that the Ugljevik 3 coal plant project would be implemented. He made the remark immediately after the Center for Environment from Banja Luka, the entity’s capital city, said it sued his ministry for granting the environmental permit in violation of the rules and an agreement with the Energy Community Secretariat. A decision on the lawsuit may be expected by March 2023.[21][22]
In December 2022, the District Court in Banja Luka annulled the decision of the Ministry, thereby reversing the approval of the project's environmental impact study. The primary rationale was the lack of public participation in the environmental planning process. In addition, there was inadequate assessment of pollution emissions such as carbon dioxide. The Center for the Environment planned to continue pressuring for the official cancellation of the 700 MW expansion.[23]
The Ministry, after the judicial annulment of the study in December 2022, issued another decision approving the study. In February 2023, the Center filed a lawsuit.[24]
In July 2023, Balkans Beyond Coal and others reported that the environmental permit for Ugljevik III was annulled for the third time by Banja Luka District Court,[25] in another blow against the controversial project. However, the administrative dispute was reportedly not concluded quite yet ("upravni spor još uvijek nije okončan").[24] Later in July, the Ministry of Physical Planning, Construction and Ecology of the Republic of Srpska suspended the environmental permit procedure for the power plant, pending a ruling from the Supreme Court.[26]
In August 2023, President Dodik of Republika Srpska was reportedly seeking financing for energy projects from Hungary, including the planned Mrsovo hydroelectric power plant and Ugljevik 3.[27]
In early October 2023, the Ministry changed its mind and issued yet another environmental permit for the project, according to Bankwatch report.[28]
In late December 2023, Center for Environment reported that District Court in Banja Luka issued a decision which accepted the lawsuit filed by the Center and annulled the Environmental Impact Assessment Study issued by the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction, and Ecology, awaiting Supreme Court's decision.[29][30] However at the end of January 2024, the Ministry approved the EIA prepared in December 2021 yet again.[31] The project holder is Comsar Energy Republic of Serbia LLC.[31]
The EIA and environmental permit are two separate legal proceedings.[26] The understanding is that no environmental permit can be issued without an EIA being approved first. However when an EIA approval is annulled, the environmental permit is not automatically annulled with it, even though it in principle becomes illegal. Even though both EIA and environmental permit were approved as of late January 2024, Global Energy Monitor's understanding is that these decisions are still being contested by the Center for Environment and the construction permit is missing.
In July 2024, the court again ruled in favour of the Center for Environment and annulled the environmental permit for Ugljevik III for the fourth time.[32] However, the EIA approval from January 2024 appeared to be still in place.
Draft NECP (2023): No New Coal
In April 2023, Bosnia and Herzegovina announced a draft national energy plan until 2030 that foresees no new coal-fired plants.[33] The draft NECP did not mention Ugljevik 3.[26]
In July 2023, a ‘public’ consultation about Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) draft National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) was underway. Bankwatch Network summarized the following: "Despite considerable solar and wind potential, the Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska governments have relentlessly pushed to build new coal plants such as Tuzla 7 and Ugljevik III – as well as decades-old hydropower projects in highly sensitive locations – long past their sell-by dates. These dinosaurs have heavily burdened previous energy planning and left little space for new ideas. But the draft NECP finally looks like it was written in the 21st Century: it states that there will be no new fossil fuel plants – coal or gas. This is a significant step that must be maintained in the final version of the NECP."[34][35]
In December 2023, Energy Community Secretariat published comments and recommendations on the draft NECP, summarizing that "the draft plan its current form lacks the analytical basis, the assessment of the impacts of the planned policies and the investments needed to achieve the corresponding targets and objectives. It does not fulfil its objective, namely, to provide a clear set of policies and measures that will set Bosnia and Herzegovina on a predictable path to achieve its 2030 energy and climate targets." Detailed recommendations were provided in the Secretariat report. The final NECP has to be submitted until 30 June 2024.[36] As December 2024, the final NECP has not been submitted yet.
Proposed Change in Ownership
In September 2022, the Republic of Srpska announced that they would be buying the project from the Russian company Comsar. According to BiH politician Milorad Dodik: "[Comsar] have obtained all the building permits, they have feasibility studies and we said that we are ready and that Republika Srpska will take over the rights to build it" (Google translate). Dodik said that the Republic was seeking a construction partner for both the expansion project and the modernization of the existing plant.[37] However this has not gone ahead and Comsar Energy appeared to be majority shareholder of the project company. [31]
Opposition
On April 24, 2014, the Center for Environment in Bosnia, Herzegowina, and Serbia held a demonstration in front of the coal-fired power plant Ugljevik. The demonstration was in response to the publication, “Expensive, dirty, poisonous – energy from coal and its dark secrets.” Protestors held a sign that said in Bosnian, “And what’s the price of health?” as well as an inflatable pair of damaged lungs as an art piece.[38]
In 2018, Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities acknowledged that their environmental assessments were illegal and have decided to not use the environmental permit from 2014. In 2014, the Center for Environment from Banja Luka sent a complaint about the environmental permit for building the Ugljevik plant to the Energy Community Secretariat, which was eventually sent to the Ministerial Council in Skopje. The complaint “outlined how the EU’s Directive on Environmental Impact Assessment – binding for Bosnia and Herzegovina under the Energy Community Treaty – has been violated” because the plans for the Ugljevik plant did not include the plant’s impact on the environment, specifically pertaining to CO2 emissions and metal pollution. Furthermore, “the data on emissions of SO2, NOx and dust from the plant are demonstrably false.”[39]
On February 19, 2019, the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), Sandbag, Climate Action Network Europe, CEE Bankwatch Network, and Europe Beyond Coal released a Chronic Coal Pollution report. The report urged the EU to “take a tougher stance on air pollution from coal power plants in the Western Balkans,” including the Ugljevik power plant in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Their main issue with the power plants were the premature deaths, bronchitis cases in children, and health costs of up to 11,535 million euros ($13 million).[40]
In September 2021, representatives of the local community and environmentalist organizations expressed concern during a public debate that the draft environmental impact assessment study for the controversial Ugljevik 3 thermal power project was incomplete. They said the document did not reveal the real potential damage and claimed it made no sense to build the facility while coal phaseout dates are being determined in the region and Europe.[17]
Environmental impacts
In September 2024, CEE Bankwatch published a report stating that Ugljevik power station was the largest emitter of sulfur dioxide in 2023 among coal plants included in the National Emissions Reduction Plans of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Ugljevik’s operator had invested in a desulfurization unit but, after experiencing technical problems, no longer operates it because it is considered an “economic burden”.[41][42]
Financing
A loan from a Chinese bank (possibly China Development Bank) was previously contemplated.[43] In January 2022, it was reported that Chinese bank loans will not be available for the Ugljevik project.[19]
In August 2023, President Dodik of Republika Srpska was reportedly seeking financing for energy projects from Hungary, including for Ugljevik 3.[27]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240507023047/https://vladars.rs/sr-SP-Cyrl/Vlada/Ministarstva/mgr/Documents/%25D0%25A0%25D1%2598%25D0%25B5%25D1%2588%25D0%25B5%25D1%259A%25D0%25B5%2520%25D0%25BE%2520%25D0%25BE%25D0%25B4%25D0%25BE%25D0%25B1%25D1%2580%25D0%25B0%25D0%25B2%25D0%25B0%25D1%259A%25D1%2583%2520%25D0%25A1%25D1%2582%25D1%2583%25D0%25B4%25D0%25B8%25D1%2598%25D0%25B5%2520%25D1%2583%25D1%2582%25D0%25B8%25D1%2586%25D0%25B0%25D1%2598%25D0%25B0%2520%2520%25D0%25BF%25D0%25BE%2520%25D0%25BF%25D1%2580%25D0%25B5%25D1%2581%25D1%2583%25D0%25B4%25D0%25B8%252030%25201%25202024%2520%25D0%25A3%25D0%25B3%25D1%2599%25D0%25B5%25D0%25B2%25D0%25B8%25D0%25BA%25203_561229723.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 07 May 2024.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240212205644/https://www.riteugljevik.com/termoelektrana.php?Oznaka=TE. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Coal-Fired Plants in Bosnia & Montenegro," Industcards, accessed March 2016
- ↑ "Saopštenje RiTE Ugljevik: "Planovi ispunjeni 100%"!". noviglas.info. 30 December 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) - ↑ "Termoelektrana u BiH prestala s radom, dnevni gubitak 280.000 eura". www.index.hr. December 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Bosnia’s RiTE Ugljevik sets up JV with Cyprus-based Comsar Energy," SeeNews, August 13, 2012
- ↑ "Bosnia’s Comsar Energy Republika Srpska submits environmental study for Ugljevik 3 TPP - govt," Seenews, September 19, 2012
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "TPP Ugljevik," Comsar Energy Republika Srpska website, accessed February 2014
- ↑ "Coal mine or Power plant," Consulting Network of China FTZ, January 13, 2015
- ↑ "Bosnia faces legal action over Chinese-backed coal dash," Climate Home, October 28, 2016
- ↑ "Ugljevik III lignite power plant, Bosnia and Herzegovina," Bankwatch, accessed January 2021
- ↑ "Ruski oligarh napušta Srpsku sa 180 miliona KM u džepu!" Capital.ba, May 30, 2019
- ↑ "Secret Chinese deal on Bosnia-Herzegovina coal plant must be urgently stopped, say NGOs," czzs.org, June 30, 2021
- ↑ "挺进欧洲市场 中国电工波黑项目顺利签约," 中国电工, June 24, 2021
- ↑ "Firms from China, Poland ink deal for Ugljevik 3 coal plant in BiH," Balkan Green Energy News, June 30, 2021
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Locals, activists say coal plant Ugljevik 3 study is clearly incomplete," Balkan Green Energy News, September 1, 2021
- ↑ "China pledges to stop building new coal power plants abroad," Balkan Green Energy News, September 22, 2021
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 "NGOs Hail Chinese Banks' Exit from Bosnia's Controversial Ugljevik III Coal Plant Project". Just Finance. January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Tužba zbog ekološke studije za termoelektranu u RS u vlasništvu ruskog biznismena Serdarova," Radio Slobodna Evropa, March 7, 2022
- ↑ "Three Permits and two Lawsuits for the disputed thermal Power Plant in Ugljevik," Sarajevo Times, July 20, 2022
- ↑ "Federation of BiH stops Tuzla 7 coal power plant project," Balkan Green Energy News, July 14, 2022
- ↑ "Sud poništio Studiju uticaja na životnu sredinu za termoelektranu Ugljevik 3," Centar za životnu sredinu, December 14, 2022
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Treće poništenje ekološke dozvole za termoelektranu Ugljevik III," Centar za životnu sredinu, July 10, 2023
- ↑ July 13, 2023 Tweet, Balkans Beyond Coal, July 2023
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 "Controversial coal plant project Ugljevik 3 in BiH clings on top court’s decision," Balkan Green Energy News, July 28, 2023
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Hungary could fund Bosnian energy projects in wake of German pullout," Central European Times, August 28, 2023
- ↑ "Ugljevik III lignite power plant, Bosnia and Herzegovina". bankwatch.org.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Justice and Environment's post". Facebook. January 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "The Court: Thermal Power Plant Project 'Ugljevik 3' is in Conflict with Bosnia and Herzegovina's International Obligations". justiceandenvironment.org. December 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 "Р Ј Е Ш Е Њ Е О одобравању Студије утицаја на животну средину" (PDF). https://vladars.rs/. 30 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ↑ "Četvrto uzastopno poništenje ekološke dozvole za termoelektranu Ugljevik III". czzs.org. July 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "BiH's NECP: coal power plants to be shut, 2 GW of renewables installed". balkangreenenergynews.com. April 28, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Bosnia and Herzegovina’s draft NECP: The good, the bad and the ugly, Bankwatch, July 20, 2023
- ↑ "INTEGRIRANI PLAN ZA ENERGIJU I KLIMU BOSNE I HERCEGOVINE," Verzija 7, 2023
- ↑ "RECOMMENDATIONS 2/2023 by the Energy Community Secretariat on the Draft integrated National Energy and Climate Plan of Bosnia and Herzegovina". /energycommunity-my.sharepoint.com. 26 December 2023.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 59 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "DODIK POTVRDIO: Srpska od Serdarova preuzima gradnju TE Ugljevik 3 i HE Mrsovo," Novosti, September 21, 2022
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 "Cough4Coal Facebook Post," Cough4Coal, April 24, 2014
- ↑ "Bosnia-Herzegovina settlement agreement shows coal plant environmental assessment is illegal," CEE Bankwatch Network, November 29, 2018
- ↑ "Environmentalists call for EU action on Westerns Balkans' Chronic Coal Pollution,", RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty, February 19, 2019
- ↑ “Western Balkans coal power plants still pumping out toxic emissions,” BNE Intellinews, September 17, 2024
- ↑ “Western Balkans: coal pollution increases due to government failures – new report,” CEE Bankwatch, September 17, 2024
- ↑ "China's Global Energy Finance," Boston University, accessed October 2018
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.
