The citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have not been able to provide coal for firewood for almost three months, because all the mines are blocked due to a huge order from Serbia, which bought everything that is mined in advance, which is why no one knows when it will be citizens’ turn and whether there will be coal for the coming winter.
The purchase of firewood, which usually starts as soon as winter ends, that is, in April and May, and at the latest in June, when coal prices are the most favorable, this year was delayed until the end of July due to the decision of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, who messed up the plans for the citizens and who are now panicking ways to ensure a warm winter in their homes.
“For more than 20 days, we haven’t sold anything to the citizens and it is not known when it will start. At least 150 trucks have been waiting for loading for a month and two months and we can’t get our turn. Serbia has a large order, we heard that it is two million tons, but I don’t know if that is true, and that they are stockpiling because of the energy crisis. Their trucks come, bring the wooden forms for the mine and take the coal there. This has been going on for two months. Citizens are calling and asking, but we have no answers and we don’t know when it will be their turn. Even the mine workers who took the coal instead of a year-end bonus cannot get it,” one driver told us.
He explained that the price of one ton of coal is currently 128 BAM in the mine, and that they sell up to 200 BAM with transport. Last year, the price of a ton of coal for citizens was 135 BAM with delivery.
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, spoke about the lack of coal that Serbia needs in order to supply thermal power plants with sufficient quantities.
From January 1st to June 30th this year, Serbia bought 109.214 tons of brown coal from BiH at a price of 15.385.005 BAM, while in the same period the year before, it bought 46.482 tons for 5.893.542.43 BAM.
At the beginning of June, BiH temporarily banned the export of wood outside its borders because, following the relationship between supply and demand, as well as the movement of the price of firewood and pellets, it was established that in BiH, due to increased demand on the world market, there was a significant increase in exports and that the situation has reached a worrying level and requires an urgent reaction with the aim of stabilizing the domestic market.
Journalists also wanted to ask the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, Stasa Kosarac, whether the same would be proposed for coal, without which a large number of citizens could be left, but he did not answer the call or respond to the message, Radio Sarajevo writes.
E.Dz.
