Background of the conflict in the FBiH power sector: Kukić seeks revenge, Nikšić pressures EPBiH, and Buljubašić gives up!

(Patria) - The acting general director of Elektroprivreda BiH, Sanel Buljubašić, will certainly not apply for the position. This means that Buljubašić, a member of SDP BiH, will not be the new general director of the most significant energy company in the country. According to Istraga.ba's information, Buljubašić does not want to be an accomplice in the destruction of Bosnia and Herzegovina's power sector. And here is what is behind it all. written by Istraga.ba

The former director of Elektroprivreda BiH, Elvedin Grabovica, intended to use Buljubašić as a signatory for his deals. At the same time, Buljubašić was expected to fulfill the wishes of Mirsad Kukić, the informal head of PDA and the actual owner of the Banovići Coal Mine. However, since Buljubašić decided not to participate in the game anymore, Grabovica and Kukić are looking for new solutions. For now, two names are being considered – Fahrudin Tanović and Sanela Jurišić. Tanović is currently the acting executive director for production, while Jurišić is the acting executive director for economic affairs. True, Nevad Ikanović is also mentioned as one of the candidates, but the chances for this PDA member are slim, given that he clashed with Mirsad Kukić during the last tender in Elektroprivreda BiH when 400,000 tons of coal were procured from the company Lager from Posušje.



According to Istraga.ba's information, it was precisely this tender that led to disagreements within the ruling coalition itself, specifically between PDA and SDP, which resulted in the suspension of coal supply from RMU Banovići to Tuzla Thermal Power Plant.

Let's recall that in October and November last year, Elektroprivreda BiH conducted a procurement process for 400,000 tons of coal for the needs of the Kakanj Thermal Power Plant. Four companies applied for the tender at the time: Lager d.o.o. Posušje, Arnex Trading from the United Arab Emirates, LX International from South Korea, and the consortium Ilić Trgovina Zvornik and Sole Komerc from Serbia. The company Lager is associated with the HDZ-affiliated businessman from Posušje, Milenko Bašić, while the owner of both companies that formed the consortium, Ilić Trgovina and Sole Komerc, is Slobodan Ilić, a Serbian businessman originally from Banovići. Ilić's companies have been the main partner of RMU Banovići for years, and it is mainly through his companies that Mirsad Kukić controls the export of Banovići coal to Serbia.

When EP BiH announced the tender for the procurement of 400,000 tons of coal, Kukić, according to Istraga.ba's information, agreed with Ilić that he would offer coal to Elektroprivreda BiH at a significantly higher price, and that his companies would procure this coal from RMU Banovići at much lower prices. However, Grabovica and the leaders of SDP BiH decided that the coal would be procured from the HDZ-affiliated company Lager from Posušje. Thus, on November 17, 2023, Fahrudin Tanović made a decision to disqualify Ilić's consortium and declared Lager the only qualified company for the procurement of 400,000 tons of coal.



Dissatisfied with this decision, Kukić arranged with Ilić to file an appeal with the Appeals Review Office (URŽ), which delayed the final signing of the contract between Lager and Elektroprivreda BiH. However, the Federal Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić and Elvedin Grabovica did not want to abandon their intention to procure coal from Lager. Nevad Ikanović, acting executive director for supply and trade (PDA), then got involved, meeting with Lager's representatives and offering a settlement in exchange for Ilić's companies withdrawing their appeal. After Kukić found out about this meeting, he began to retaliate against Ikanović, and for the first time since he started working in the mining industry, he was not invited to the celebration of Miner's Day at RMU Banovići.

Miner's Day – Vojin Mijatović, Mirsad Kukić, Elzina Pirić, and Dragan Mioković
When he realized that Kukić was slowing down the coal procurement from Lager through Slobodan Ilić, Nermin Nikšić, according to Istraga.ba's information, called Mirsad Kukić and demanded that Sole Komerc withdraw its appeals. Otherwise, Nikšić threatened, the Government could dismiss Kukić's management of RMU Banovići.

Ilić's consortium very quickly withdrew its appeal, and on December 21, Elektroprivreda BiH signed a contract with Lager. Shortly before that, the FBiH Government had adopted a decision approving the prices of coal for thermal power plants, namely 7.80 KM/GJ for coal from surface mining and 7.80 KM/GJ for coal from underground mining. However, Kukić realized that this price was not enough for the survival of the Banovići Mine. Therefore, through the Syndicate he controls, he began to confront the FBiH Government and Elektroprivreda BiH.



“We do not have a contract with Elektroprivreda BiH and we cannot transport coal to Tuzla Thermal Power Plant. When we reach an agreement on a new contract, the coal supply will resume,” stated the director of RMU Banovići, Rasim Dostović, in early January this year.

Soon, the director of RMU Banovići was supported by the Syndicate, which is under Kukić's control.Kukić at a meeting of the RMU Banovići Syndicate
Pressured by the dissatisfaction of the miners on one hand and the majority in the House of Representatives of the FBiH (Elzina Pirić decides on the majority) on the other, Nikšić demands that Elektroprivreda BiH not apply the coal price decision to RMU Banovići. According to Istraga.ba's information, Nikšić and the FBiH Government are asking the Management of EP BiH to agree to Kukić's blackmail. However, aware of the consequences, the acting general director Sanel Buljubašić refuses to offer Banovići Mine a new contract at different prices and informs the FBiH Government that he will not apply for the position of general director of EP BiH.

Incidentally, the situation at Elektroprivreda is alarming, and preparations are already underway to procure an additional 200,000 tons of lignite from the Stanari Mine. This will be at significantly higher prices, which could lead to Elektroprivreda BiH's losses this year being much higher than planned.