”If the project for the construction of Block 7 of the Tuzla thermal power plant is not realized, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will have to import electricity, which will result in a rise in the price of electricity, ” Borislav Maric, a mining engineer and former ambassador of BiH to the People’s Republic of China, said in an interview with BiH edition of Vecernji list.
While commenting on the economic cooperation between BiH and China, Maric mentioned infrastructure projects in road construction and energy, Klix.ba writes.
“Unfortunately, the final phase of the construction of Block 7 has been on hold for some time, and it would enable the Federation, and thus BiH, to have energy independence and solve the issue of over 15.000 miners whose existence is questionable without the construction of Block 7. And not only that. BiH citizens could experience a rise in electricity prices if no replacements or new thermal power plants are built to replace the highly polluting ones that are planned to be closed by 2024, ” told Maric.
According to him, decarbonization will inevitably come and coal will be phased out, but, as he emphasized, it will happen gradually.
“Currently, coal-fired power plants annually produce about 70 percent of the total electricity production in BiH. They are the largest and most reliable source of electricity supply since the production of hydropower, whose installed capacity is even slightly higher than heat, varies with the seasons and it is more affected by drought in the last decade, ” he added.
”In case this project is not realized, BiH will have to meet its electricity needs with higher imports, which will increase the cost of electricity supply and lead to higher financial obligations, ” Maric thinks.
