The European Energy Community initiated proceedings against Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) for violating the Community’s regulations, since that country approved the continuation of the operation of two thermal power plants in the area of Tuzla and Kakanj whose service life has expired, while in the meantime they have not modernized the pollution protection system.
In the press release delivered to the media on Saturday from the Secretariat of the European Energy Community, it is stated that the continuation of operation of thermal power plants is against the Directive on large combustion plants, as well as the National Plan for the reduction of harmful gas emissions.
“As a result, this will have a negative impact on the health of citizens in BiH since air pollution, which comes from those outdated blocks, responsible for serious damage to people’s health and the environment,” it was mentioned in the letter of the Energy Community.
At the beginning of the year, the authorities of BiH approved the continuation of the operation of block 4 of the Tuzla Thermal Power Plant, as well as of block 5 of the Kakanj Thermal Power Plant, despite the fact that they had previously committed that these plants would not operate for more than 20.000 hours after January 1st, 2018. The continuation of the operation of these thermal power plants is also connected with the survival of a few mines, they explained at the time.
The Energy Community states that thermal power plants can only remain in operation if they meet the stricter standards of the Industrial Emissions Directive with the installation of pollution protection systems.
“However, this is not the case for thermal power plants Tuzla 4 and Kakanj 5,” it was added in the letter of the Energy Community.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned in a 2017 report that BiH is the most polluted country in Europe. In the report at the time, it was stated that, due to the high level of air pollution, 231 people die in BiH per 100.000 inhabitants.
