VREOCI: The Kolubara coal mine in Serbia never closes - 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, excavators work around the clock gnawing away at the soil to extract the fossil fuel.
Although most of the world is shifting away from using coal because of accompanying pollution, Serbia continues to rely on it, depending on coal for some 70 per cent of its power.Aside from coal, a quarter of Serbia's power comes from hydroelectric power stations, with the remaining fraction from renewable energy sources.
The coal extracted at Kolubara reportedly powers enough stations to produce half of the country's electricity, with more than 11,000 workers employed to extract between 26 million tonnes and 27 million tonnes of coal every year. Electricity prices are significantly lower in Serbia than in much of Europe - in June, a kWh was €0.096 , a third of the average of €0.289 in the European Union. Serbian populist president Aleksandar Vucic often mentions the low electricity prices during his speeches. However, Serbia has been under pressure from the International Monetary Fund to raise prices and has had three tariff hikes this year. "Ongoing electricity and gas tariff hikes have helped to reduce fiscal subsidies and will be critical for financing essential energy investments over coming years," the IMF said in a press release in June.But in places such as Serbia, which have relied on coal for decades and have limited resources for the investment required to switch to greener alternatives, weaning off the power source still seems like a distant project. "For years, coal has been considered a kind of divine gift in our energy production," Hristina Vojvodic of the Renewables and Environmental Regulatory Institute told AFP. Serbia adopted the emissions reduction plan in 2020 and vowed to"decarbonise" completely by 2050. But coal's share in power generation has not changed much since. "The country has no real intention of getting out of coal. There are plans and strategies being drawn up, but when it comes to getting out of coal, the decisions aren't there," Vojvodic said."That could mean 5 per cent. It could mean 20 per cent. We don't know anything about it," said the lawyer, whose institute last year succeeded in having a Belgrade court recognise the harmful role of thermal power stations on health. The court also ordered EPS, the state-owned electricity company, to reduce its sulphur dioxide emissions because of the threat they pose to health and the environment.In 2022, SO2 emissions from coal were five to six times higher than the allowed limit for all thermal power stations in the country, depending on the source. "We have nothing against switching to green energies, which are better for health and the environment, and which would also provide better working conditions for miners," said Vladimir Radosavljevic, vice-president of the United Trade Unions of Serbia-Sloga, which is responsible for the industry sector. But"the energy sector employs a large number of people here, especially in the big mines, and abandoning coal mining would lead to a lot of redundancies", he said. Serbian President Vucic said in 2021 that the country"will not run from" its thermal capacities and promised the miners that they would have jobs for at least the next three decades. For the time being, there are no redundancies in sight, and Serbia is due to open a new unit at its Kostolac coal-fired power station in the coming months, thanks to Chinese funding, as well as an extension to the Drmno coal mine.But Vojvodic said her organisation learned that tests have been underway since January. "We became aware of this a few days ago - residents called to tell us they were extremely worried because they could see black smoke coming out of the chimney. We asked for documents, and we discovered that tests were being carried out." B3 is equipped with a desulphurisation unit - but"the figures speak for themselves: Even with it, emissions are higher" than Serbia's commitments, she says."To be honest, we don't know whether Serbia is planning to expand its mines any further," said Vojvodic. "The Ministry of Construction is planning new facilities, the Ministry of Mines and Energy says it's not possible, and the Ministry of the Environment has nothing to say. So we don't know what the plans are." We know it's a hassle to switch browsers but we want your experience with CNA to be fast, secure and the best it can possibly be.
Please follow us on Google to support usSingapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Japan police detain hostage-taker after hours-long standoff in post officeSAITAMA — Japanese police have detained a suspected gunman reportedly in his 80s who holed up in a post office on Tuesday (Oct 31) with several hostages.
Read more »
Man warns Singaporeans to not go 'cheap cheap' in Malaysia with ringgit at record lowWith the Singaporean dollar a lot stronger against the Malaysian ringgit recently, shopping across the border has become even cheaper. One man, however, has warned Singaporeans that being a show off there has repercussions. In a TikTok video shared on Tuesday (Oct 31), the man said Singaporeans 'should not be birds in Malaysia'.
Read more »
Websites of Singapore public hospitals, polyclinics back up after hours-long 'internet access disruption'SINGAPORE — The websites of all public hospitals and polyclinics in Singapore gradually became accessible on Wednesday (Nov 1) evening after a disruption that lasted a few hours.
Read more »
Heidi Klum takes 6 hours and 10 Cirque du Soleil artists to create Halloween costumeHeidi Klum took six hours and 10 Cirque du Soleil artists to create her peacock Halloween costume. The 50-year-old model — whose annual spooky party is the stuff of legend — wanted to create 'something very elaborate' for the season after dressing as a 'minimal kind of rainworm' for her 2022 bash, and she was flanked by backup dancers in...
Read more »
Close shave: Jamie Chua claims her Birkin almost got stolen in ParisWhile Paris is a beautiful city, it's notorious for its pickpockets and thieves. In fact, just last year, the home of former actress and TV host Sharon Au was burglarised. Unfortunately, Sharon Au's good friend, socialite Jamie Chua, had a close shave herself during a recent holiday to Paris.
Read more »
Websites of all S’pore public hospitals, polyclinics back up after crash lasting 7 hoursWebsites of KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Institute of Mental Health also down. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »