Bosnia's HE Dabar seals deal with China's Exim bank for 160 MW hydropower plant
05/01/2022 12:07
SARAJEVO, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Bosnian hydropower company HE
Dabar has sealed a 180 million euro ($203.4 million) deal with
the Export-Import Bank of China to partly finance the
construction of a 160 megawatt (MW) plant in southeastern
Bosnia, its general manager said on Wednesday.
The Dabar power plant on the Trebisnjica river, estimated to
cost 661 million Bosnian marka ($381.2 million) in total, will
be part of the planned Gornji Horizonti 250 MW hydropower
complex, which is also expected to incorporate two smaller
hydropower plants - Nevesinje and Bileca.
Last year, the company signed a deal with China Gezhouba
Group to construct the plant, which will have an annual output
of 252 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity.
The deal with Exim Bank marks the completion of a lengthy
process, which has been slowed down by legal complaints by some
companies over the bidding process, HE Dabar director Slavisa
Stajic told Reuters.
Stajic said preparatory works have been underway for the
power plant, which will have three turbines.
Environmental groups have warned the plant will reduce the
influx of water into the Neretva River and its tributaries,
where the lower stream is already threatened by penetration of
salty seawater from the Adriatic.
HE Dabar is part of the Hidroelektrane na Trebisnjici (HET)
hydropower producer, itself a subsidiary of Bosnia's second
largest power utility Elektroprivreda RS.
EPRS operates two coal-fired power plants with a combined
capacity of 600 MW and three big and several small hydropower
plants with a total capacity of 617 MW.
Unlike its Balkan neighbours which rely on imports to cover
much of their energy needs, Bosnia is able to export power due
in part to its hydropower capacity, which provides 40 percent of
its electricity. The rest comes from coal-fired plants.
($1 = 1.734 Bosnian marka)
($1 = 0.8850 euros)
(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
((daria.sito-sucic@thomsonreuters.com; +38733 295 484; Reuters
Messaging: daria.sito-sucic.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))