The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has initiated the procedure for considering the approval of a loan of EUR 80 million to the Electric Power Company of Serbia (EPS) for environment protection projects at the Kolubara mine basin.
As EPS announced today, the final decision on the EBRD’s loan is expected to be made until the end of July, while EPS also expects to be granted a EUR 60 million loan by the German Development Bank (KfW).
In that way, tendering processes would commence in late 2011, after which an investment of about EUR 140 million would be made in environment protection projects on the territory of the Kolubara mine basin.
The aims of the Electric Power Company’s Environmental Improvement Project at the Kolubara mine basin and local areas on the territory of that mine basin are: the supply of lignite of a uniform quality and a greater work efficiency of steam power plants.
The funds will be spent on the procurement of a coal quality management system and the construction of a landfill, the procurement of a coal excavator, conveyor and spreader system at a new section of the Kolubara lignite basin – Polje C (C Field), and the procurement of a spreader system at an existing mine – Tamnava Zapadno Polje (Tamnava Western Field).
The Kolubara mine basin annually produces about 30 million tonnes of coal and provides 75% of all lignite used by steam power plants of EPS. Kolubara supplies lignite to steam power plants Nikola Tesla A and B, and Morava.
