Prishtina rejects Belgrade’s offer for coal-for-power swap

The Prime Minister of Kosovo*, Albin Kurti, has rejected a proposal of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, to exchange electricity for coal.

Two days ago, Aleksandar Vučić offered to supply electricity to Prishtina in exchange for coal, but also to pay for coal with money.

Albin Kurti said that coal is now being sought instead of the territory of Kosovo*. He said that Vučić must recognize the independence of Kosovo*, as well as accept the crimes committed by the regime of Serbia’s former president, Slobodan Milošević, in this territory.

Kurti also said that the Serbian president should distance himself from the “despotic” Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Milošević, in whose government Vučić served as a minister, Beta reported.

Serbia intends to mix domestic coal with imported coal of better quality in order to reduce the use of fuel oil

Of note, since the December collapse of coal and electricity production, Serbia has been struggling to provide sufficient quantities of coal for the production of electricity in thermal power plants.

The Government of Serbia has allowed power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) to import four million tons of coal by the end of 2023, and contracts have already been signed with the Montenegrin Pljevlja mine for 300,000 tons, and the Banovići mine in BiH, for another 100,000 tons.

EPS produces about 40 million tons of coal a year on average, making the agreed imports a mere one percent of that amount.

Milan Jakovljević, executive director for coal production at EPS, has told RTS that imported coal is of better quality than domestic coal, which will enable the company to mix them and reduce the use of fuel oil.