Water is and should remain a public good – citizens’ initiatives
The privatization of drinking water sources in Serbia – and the region – has proceeded fairly unnoticed and under the radar. By contrast, the construction of small hydropower plants (SHPPs), especially in protected areas, has caused a revolt in parts of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania, while the response of Serbian citizens to the […]
KESH adopts climate risk management plan
Albania’s state-owned power utility KESH, whose production is almost entirely dependent on hydropower plants (HPP), has adopted its first climate risk management plan, a strategic approach to address the challenges posed by rising temperatures and increasing hydrological variability. KESH operates a 1,350 MW hydropower cascade on the Drin River. It is facing challenges due to […]
Montenegro to start phasing out feed-in tariffs for renewables in 2020
The Government of Montenegro has decided to start gradually reducing feed-in tariffs for renewable energy sources as of January 1, 2020, and announced it will continue to promote the construction of wind farms, solar power plants, and large hydropower plants without guaranteed incentive prices, Montenegrin media reported. The government has adopted regulations that will put […]
ProCredit Bank is first buyer of green energy with guarantees of origin in Serbia
Serbia’s public power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) and ProCredit Bank have signed the country’s first contract for the sale of renewable energy with guarantees of origin. The two companies have signed an annex to the contract to issue a certified guarantee to the bank that EPS will deliver only electricity generated in hydropower plants (HPP), […]
Power utility EPCG plans to launch tendering for reconstruction of 5 small HPPs
Montenegro’s state power utility Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) plans to launch tendering in the third quarter of 2019 to select a contractor to produce, deliver, and install equipment, as well as a contractor to produce the main design plan for a project to overhaul and modernize five small hydropower plants (SHPP), EPCG has said in […]
Extending feed-in tariffs risks turning public opinion against renewable energy
Author: Pippa Gallop, Research Coordinator, CEE Bankwatch Network One of the main factors driving the controversial small hydropower boom in the Western Balkans is the availability of feed-in tariffs, providing investors with a near-certain income for several years. The aim of this policy has been to incentivise the development of renewable energy, however most of […]
HEP says to invest EUR 135 million in renewables on average annually to lift share to 50% by 2030
Croatia’s state power utility Hrvatska Elektroprivreda (HEP) plans to invest HRK 1 billion (around EUR 135 million) in renewable energy sources on average annually, in what will enable it to increase the renewables share from 35% to 50% by 2030, according to a news release from HEP. HEP plans to achieve the target through the […]
Ministry drafts law to prohibit small hydropower plant construction in protected areas
The Ministry of Environmental Protection has drafted a law banning the construction of small hydropower plants (SHPPs) in protected areas, State Secretary Ivan Karić has told Reuters, adding that the draft will be sent to the government and parliament in early 2019. “If this extreme non-ecological trend of diverting streams into pipelines continues, we would […]