NiP: We call on Novalić to start solving miners' problems, gas and electricity supply

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The Government of the Federation of BiH, through its continuously bad policy, is jeopardizing the survival of the energy sector of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to the People and Justice party. The People and Justice party fully supports the demands of the miners who gathered on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, in front of the building of the Government of the Federation of BiH.

"The Government of the Federation of BiH and Elektroprivreda BiH, through their actions, are calling into question the survival of the energy sector in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The mines operating within Elektroprivreda BiH, through an entrenched system of corruption, nepotism and party-based employment, have been brought to the brink of survival. The catastrophic policy of the FBiH Government and the appointed structures of Elektroprivreda BiH is trying to be remedied by simultaneously reducing miners' rights and increasing the price of electricity. Such an approach is counterproductive, shameful and unsustainable," state from the People and Justice party.

From Elektroprivreda BiH, they have already confirmed that there will be an increase in the price of electricity for the economy, but it is envisaged that the purchase price of coal will remain the same, and that there will be a reduction in the number of miners and a reduction in their earnings.

From NiP, they state that the integration of mines has never been completed, a decline in productivity is noticeable through reduced coal excavation, the situation in the mines is getting worse day by day, and during the mandate of this management of EP BiH, the "Stranjani" pit was closed, which caused immeasurable damage to Zenica and the Zenica region.

"It is necessary for this management to be urgently dismissed, for Elektroprivreda to be positioned as a strategic company that manages strategic resources, and for an urgent recovery of the energy sector to begin," add from the
People and Justice party

According to the position of the People and Justice party, the Government of the Federation of BiH is making catastrophic moves in other areas related to the energy sector in FBiH as well.

"The citizens of Sarajevo, as the largest gas consumers, are constantly being put in a situation where they are not sure whether they will have a continuous gas supply. There are no gas reserves, we are dependent on only one supply route that goes through Serbia, the responsibilities between different actors in the gas system are not clearly defined... On top of all that, the FBiH Government has no clear strategy for transitioning from coal to renewable sources, and the final decision on the construction of Block 7 in the Tuzla Thermal Power Plant is being postponed day by day, even though such a delay in decision-making is actually the worst possible decision because time is running out. We call on the Prime Minister of the Government of the Federation of BiH, Fadil Novalić, to stop his pre-election campaign in European cities and return to solving serious, life-and-death issues for citizens. The situation in which the supply of gas and electricity is uncertain, in which, through his thoughtless moves, he announces an increase in the tax burden on citizens, is unsustainable," concludes the statement from the People and Justice party.