Environment

Ministry drafts law to prohibit small hydropower plant construction in protected areas

BiH among world leaders in power production from renewables

Photo: Pixabay

Published

November 29, 2018

Country

Comments

comments icon

0

Share

Published:

November 29, 2018

Country:

Comments:

comments icon

0

Share

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 soon have thousands of kilometers of Balkan streams and rivers forever lost,” Karić said.

He also announced that the new legislation could strip the already built SHPPs of the right to state subsidies if it is determined they fail to comply with environmental protection procedures.

In recent months, citizens and experts have been demanding from the authorities to stop the construction of SHPPs in protected areas. A protest with this request was held in Pirot, while the deans of for Belgrade University faculties and the director of the Siniša Stanković Institute of Biological Research have sent an open letter to Environmental Protection Minister Goran Trivan and Pirot Mayor Vladan Vasić expressing concern regarding the conservation of the natural resources.

A few years ago, a citizen initiative to Defend the Rivers of Mt. Stara Planina started opposing the mass construction of SHPPs in this area, of which some are planned to be built in protected areas. The construction of one of the SHPPs on Mt. Stara Planina – Pakleštica on the Visočica River – was banned by the Supreme Court of Cassation ten days ago.

The construction of SHPPs in Serbia gathered steam after 2009, when the state adopted a decision to subsidize renewable energy production, including electricity generation from SHPPs. Today, the official register of electricity producers eligible for the feed-in tariff over a 12-year period contains 128 SHPPs.

753 hydropower plants in the SEE region in protected areas

According to a study called Financing for hydropower in protected areas in SEE: 2018 update by CEE Bankwatch Network, out of 2,112 planned or operational hydropower projects across southeast Europe (SEE) since 2005, at least 735 are in protected areas or internationally recognized areas of high biodiversity value.

A few dozen hydropower projects in protected areas are supported by multilateral development banks, the study finds.

Another study, titled Eco-Masterplan, published a few days ago by the NGOs Riverwatch and EuroNatur within the context of the “Save the Blue Heart of Europe” campaign, concluded that three-quarters of the rivers in the Balkans are ecologically so valuable that they should be completely off limits for hydropower development.

Two weeks ago, the Energy Community Secretariat warned that public consultation is an essential part of the environmental assessment procedures, which must be implemented by all Contracting Parties.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

north macedonia gas power plants kazanci holding mickoski

Mickoski: Kazancı Holding to invest EUR 1 billion in gas power plants, gas, and heat grids

26 February 2025 - Turkey-based Kazancı Holding plans to invest EUR 1 billion in gas power plants, gas and heat grids, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said

serbia forest invest fao green climate fund

Serbia to afforest 7,000 hectares, revitalize 51,000 hectares of forests

25 February 2025 - The project, valued at USD 84 million, is funded by the Green Climate Fund, the Government of Serbia and FAO

EU renewables role Vision for Agriculture and Food

EU acknowledges renewables role in Vision for Agriculture and Food

21 February 2025 - Green energy and energy communities are beneficial for farmers, the European Commission said in its Vision for Agriculture and Food

bih centrotrans CNG natural gas public transport

BiH’s Centrotrans to switch entire bus fleet to natural gas by 2030

20 February 2025 - Centrotrans, with its fleet of more than 200 buses, operates local, intercity, and international transport