Yesterday, ecologists called on European Union policy makers to take a firmer stance on the issue of air pollution from thermal power plants in the Western Balkans, stating that 3900 people die annually because of them across Europe.
Sixteen thermal power plants dating back to the communist era with a capacity of 8 gigawatts emitted the same amount of sulfur dioxide in 2016 as 250 thermal power plants with a capacity 30 times greater in other parts of the European Union, five environmental groups stated in a report.
Lignite, the most environmentally harmful coal, is widely available in the region, providing cheap energy resources and a large source of energy for Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro.
These countries, Reuters reminds, are members of the Energy Community, which has committed to implement EU regulations and reduce pollution by 2018. However, investments in the construction of new power plants or technology to reduce harmful gas emissions have mostly been postponed, the report says.
"Air pollution knows no borders and is still an invisible killer in Europe," said Vlatka Matković Puljić, a senior official for health and energy at the HEAL organization and one of the authors of the report. "It is high time that policymakers in the EU step up their efforts to clean the air and decarbonize the energy sector," she said.
The report states that power plants in the Western Balkans have caused EU-wide pollution and health costs of €11,5 billion per year.
The region plans to add 2,7 gigawatts of new thermal power capacity, mostly financed by Chinese banks, adding that most plants will not meet EU pollution control rules.
Governments in the region argue that they rely on thermal power plants to meet growing demand and ensure energy security, and state that the new thermal power plants will emit fewer harmful gases.
The report calls for stricter rules to be imposed on the Energy Community and states that the EC should make the fulfillment of those requirements a condition for entry into the EU. For now, members of the Energy Community do not face penalties if they do not comply.
"Instead of investing in outdated thermal power plants, Western Balkan leaders should ... increase the share of sustainable forms of renewable energy," said Joana Kiuta, energy coordinator at CEE Bankwatch, one of the five groups that compiled the report.
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