Ugljevik Thermal Power Plant suspends operation again

(Patria) - The Ugljevik Thermal Power Plant has not been operational since Monday, December 23, the president of the trade union of workers of this company, Boban Benović, confirmed to Radio Free Europe (RSE).

The reason is the lack of coal and bad weather that hinders mining in the mine.

- Our mine is not working, but we hope it will start operating, as they are announcing the cessation of precipitation and that they will start delivering coal - says Benović.

This is the second time the Ugljevik Thermal Power Plant has suspended operations in the same month.

It previously suspended operations on November 30 and was out of service for 10 days.

At the beginning of the year, RiTE Ugljevik lost a dispute at arbitration with the Slovenian company EGS-RI, which is seeking 67 million euros, plus default interest, based on investments in this power plant.

The concession for coal exploitation in Ugljevik, granted by the Government of Republika Srpska to Comsar, a company owned by Russian oligarch Rashid Serdarov, is also a problem for mining.

The concession for one coal exploitation field was awarded to the Russian oligarch more than 10 years ago, in exchange for a guarantee that a new block of the thermal power plant would be built, which has not happened to this day.