Page 15 - Respond 2019 Magazine
P. 15

>    Feature                                                                             Respond





          World Bank dumps



          Kosovo plant, ending



          support for coal worldwide




         By Karl Mathiesen for Climate Home News



          The Kosovo e Re lignite plant could not compete with renewables on price, said bank
          president Jim Yong Kim












































          The proposed plant would replace Kosovo A power station (pictured), which was opened in 1962 and frequently breaks down (Photo: Karl Mathiesen)


          The World Bank has abandoned the last coal project on its books,   there were cheaper options to solve Kosovo’s energy crisis.
          with its president publicly dumping the Kosovo e Re plant in   On Wednesday, Kim said: “We are required by our by-laws to
          October.
                                                               go with the lowest cost option and renewables have now come
          Speaking at a town hall event in Bali, Jim Yong Kim was asked by   below the cost of coal. So without question, we are not going to
          civil society representatives from Kosovo whether the bank was   [support the plant].”
          still considering guaranteeing loans to the plant.
                                                               In 2015, the Kosovo government announced that it had signed an
          “On the Balkans, yes, we have made a very firm decision not to go   agreement with the World Bank and US company ContourGlobal
          forward with the coal power plant,” he said.         to build the new station.
          Climate Home News reported in June that World Bank officials had   It is unclear what the withdrawal of the bank’s guarantee means
          met minister of economic development Valdrin Lluka, amid rumours   for the financing of the project, which has long been a centrepiece
          that a bank review had rejected the project on the grounds that   infrastructure project for the Kosovo government.

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