"Secret Chinese deal on Bosnia-Herzegovina coal plant must be urgently stopped, say NGOs", 30 June 2021

Environmental organizations have today expressed concerns and called on the Government of Republika Srpska to clearly explain what is happening with the Ugljevik 3 coal power plant and to urgently cancel the concession for the project.

The call follows surprise news on the signing of a construction contract for the Ugljevik 3 plant between the Chinese company China Electric and the Polish-Chinese Sunningwell International LTD, neither of whom were publicly known to be participating in the project until now.

...Allowing its state-owned enterprise to undertake a new coal project contravenes China’s climate pledge to address the growing coal fleet in the Balkans and other BRI countries enabled by Chinese companies and state funds. China has not only avoided addressing concerns by NGOs and the UN special rapporteurs on the undermining of legal requirements enabled by Chinese financed Bosnian coal projects, but also greenlighted a new project – once again – without a valid Environmental Impact Assessment.