The Ugljevik coal-fired thermal power plant has once again halted electricity production due to a shortage of coal. Boban Benović, President of the Trade Union Organization of RiTE Ugljevik, confirmed the shutdown, adding that coal production at the mine is expected to resume by the end of the day. If weather conditions improve, the power plant could be back online in five to six days.
This marks the second shutdown of the Ugljevik thermal power plant this month. The plant was also forced to stop production on the evening of November 30, remaining offline for about ten days.
The ongoing challenges faced by thermal power plants in the Republic of Srpska are highlighted by a statement from Petar Djokić, the RS Minister of Energy and Mining. He noted that around 350 million euros would be required to operate the plants at full capacity, but such funds are currently unavailable.
A particular issue for RiTE Ugljevik is a ruling from the Arbitration Court in Belgrade, which mandates the company to pay 67 million euros in damages, plus an additional 58.2 million euros in interest, to the Slovenian company Elektrogospodarstvo. Furthermore, RiTE Ugljevik is required to supply one-third of the electricity it produces to Elektrogospodarstvo as long as the thermal power plant remains operational.
