Ugljevik Power Plant Explained

Ugljevik Power Plant
Name Official:Термоелектрана "Угљевик"
Coordinates:44.6819°N 18.9672°W
Country:Bosnia and Herzegovina
Location:Ugljevik
Status:O
Construction Began:1976
Commissioned:1985
Owner:Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske
Operator:Rudnik i termoelektrana Ugljevik
Th Fuel Primary:Coal
Ps Units Operational:1 X 300 MW
Ps Units Manu Model:LMZ
Electrosila
Končar
Ps Cogeneration:Yes
Ps Electrical Capacity:300 MW

The Ugljevik Power Plant (Serbian: Термоелектрана "Угљевик") is a coal-fired power plant in Ugljevik, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is owned and operated by Rudnik i termoelektrana Ugljevik, a subsidiary of Elektroprivreda Republike Srpske. RiTE Ugljevik is an integrated coal mining and power generating company.

History

Ugljevik has been coal mining area since 1899. Construction of the coal-fired power plant started in 1976 and the first and only unit was commissioned in 1985.[1] At the same time, the old Ugljevik coal mine was closed, the new Bogutovo Selo mine was opened, and the integrated coal-mining and power generating company RiTE Ugljevik was created on the base of Rudnik Ugljevik mining company.

Construction of the second unit started in 1985 and halted during the Bosnian War.[1] During the war, the power plant was closed from April 1992 to November 1995, though the facilities and equipment were saved in expectation of resuming production.

In 2010, the power plant went through extensive upgrading,[2] the power plant nevertheless remaining a major source of pollution for the whole Northwest Bosnia and beyond.

Description

The Ugljevik Power Plant is now one of the largest generators of electricity in Republika Srpska. It has a combined heat and power generation unit with an installed capacity of 300 MW.[1] In 2009, it generated 1,559 GWh of electricity and consumed 1.3 million tonnes of coal.[3]

The power plant has a 310m (1,020feet) tall flue gas stack, the tallest structure in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Before the Bosnian War on the top of chimney with big white letters was written 'TITO', in memory of communist leader of former Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito. During the war text was rewritten, so now is visible a Serbian symbol, the Serbian cross.

The company plans to open a new coal mine, Ugljevik-Istok.[4] Some investors have showed interest in building a second unit with capacity of 600 MW of electricity.

The power plant is also infamously known as a one-of-a-kind polluter: it emits large amounts of dangerous sulphur dioxide compared to its relatively limited power generation capacity,[5] and, as of April 2019, there was still no operational flue gas desulfurization unit.[6] For this reason, the Uglevik power plant is also sometimes seen as a "Chernobyl of Europe".[7]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Coal-Fired Plants in Bosnia & Montenegro . industcards.com . 2011-01-02 . dead . http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090718115409/http://www.industcards.com/st%2Dcoal%2Dbosnia%2Dmontenegro.htm . 2009-07-18.
  2. News: Energetika.net . Repair and maintenance works in Ugljevik mine and power plant are being conducted according to the plans . Mirsad . Bajtarević . 2010-08-13 . 2011-01-02.
  3. News: Reuters . Bosnia utility EPRS posts record '09 output, profit . Olja . Stanic . Maja . Zuvela . 2010-03-18 . 2011-01-02.
  4. News: SeeNews . Bosnia's Ugljevik Power Plant To Spend 25.6 Mln Euro on Upgrades in 2010 - Media . 2010-02-08 . 2011-01-02 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110716040246/http://www.seenews.com/news/latestnews/bosnia___sugljeviktoinvest50mlnmarka_25_6mlneur_in2010formodernisation--144525/ . 2011-07-16.
  5. News: HEAL, CAN Europe, Sandbag, CEE Bankwatch Network and Europe Beyond Coal . Chronic coal pollution - EU action on the Western Balkans will improve health and economies across Europe. . 2019-02-19 . 2019-04-25.
  6. News: Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems . First Flue Gas Desulfurization System in the West Balkans supplied for Ugljevik Thermal Power Plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina . 2016-07-21 . 2019-04-25.
  7. News: N1 . 'Chernobyl of Europe' claimed to be main cause of death in a part of Bosnia . 2019-02-21 . 2019-04-25.