Environmentalists alert UNESCO of ‘ecocide’ of Tara river in Montenegro
Activists in Montenegro informed UNESCO of the destruction of wildlife in the Tara, a world heritage site, and suggested construction material is being discharged into the river during the construction of small hydropower plants and a highway. Most of Tara river’s flow through Montenegro has become muddy from thousands of tons of gravel, soil and […]
Earth Overshoot Day is August 22 but Balkans already spent most of 2020 environmental credit
The COVID-19 pandemic reduced the overconsumption of nature’s capacity to levels from 15 years ago, but it doesn’t guarantee a permanent reversal in the trend, according to data behind the Earth Overshoot Day model. If we look at the environmental impact by country from the start of the year, only one in the Balkans isn’t […]
Cyprus agrees construction of 50 MW concentrated solar power plant
A concentrated solar power system may become operational already next year, as the agreement with the government of Cyprus was signed after all permits have been secured. Alfa Mediterranean is about to build the 50 MW solar power plant using Australian tech. Following years of delays, Alfa Mediterranean Enterprises finally signed the contract with the […]
Vis island turning self-sufficient as HEP’s 3.5 MW solar plant starts trial run
The solar power plant in Vis landed a contract for trial production. The 3.5 MW facility developed by HEP Group should make the island self-sustainable in energy terms when a storage unit is finished. Croatian Energy Market Operator Ltd. (HROTE) has announced it signed a contract with Sunčana elektrana Vis and temporarily included it in […]
EU preparing CO2 tax for products from other countries
The European Commission launched public consultations on taxation rules that would help its climate agenda. It expressed the intention to revise the internal Energy Tax Directive and to introduce a carbon border adjustment mechanism in line with the European Green Deal. The latter, effectively a CO2 tax, could be applied for imported and domestic goods […]
Greece awards nearly all wind, solar capacity at auction as prices drop
Households and companies in Greece may see a decline in electricity tariffs after the latest auction of solar and wind capacity. Regulators accepted offers from power plant operators for a total of 141.9 MW and 471.8 MW, respectively, and the bidding brought lower power prices. The Regulatory Authority for Energy – RAE said this year’s […]
Public call for energy rehabilitation of buildings in Serbia announced
Switzerland is helping Kruševac, Užice and Vrbas in the energy rehabilitation of 17 public buildings. The public call in three lots should be published in August. The project for 23 buildings in total in Serbia lasts until the middle of next year. The Ministry of Mining and Energy said it intends to publish tendering documentation […]
Slovenia drafts energy efficiency law, submits buildings renovation strategy by 2050
The government in Ljubljana defined the measures to promote and boost energy efficiency in a draft law and proposed a long-term strategy for energy renovation of buildings in Slovenia by mid-century. The bill covers charging points for electric vehicles. The Ministry of Infrastructure said its forthcoming Energy Efficiency Act would regulate the field in Slovenia […]