Coalmine and thermal power plant (RiTE) Gacko will urgently contract the installation of a coal cleaning facility, which could be integrated into the system by the 2026 overhaul, according to the general director of power utility ERS Luka Petrovic.
The project foresees a minimal period of 24 months for the installation of this facility. This means that the integration of this facility into the existing system could be expected during the overhaul of the thermal power plant in 2026. He added that the project would have to be financed from the company’s funds.
He explained that the thermal power plant currently uses lower-quality coal, because the C Field, which contains better-quality coal, is compromised due to frequent flooding and landslides that occurred after an earthquake in 2022. Therefore, the power plant is consuming significant amounts of heating oil to increase the coal’s calorific value. To eliminate emissions of fine particles and enable greater production and stability of the unit, better quality coal is needed.
He added that the concerns raised by citizens and non-governmental organizations regarding the need for environmental improvements are justified. He noted that over the past months, extensive work has been done to arrange the documentation and solve the financial structure for the installation of the facility. According to him, by combining the cleaning of the lower quality coal and the utilization of the higher quality coal, a stable operation of the unit for the next 14 years is secured.
