First privately-owned power plant comes online in Bosnia

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Bosnia is the site of the Balkans first privately-owned power plant, with a Sino-British partnership developing the 300 MW Stanari coal-fired power facility.

European financial institution reluctance to back coal projects saw China's Dongfang Electric Corp, China Development Bank and UK-based EFT come together to finance and develop the plant.

The Balkans in general has a power deficit but a surplus now exists in Bosnia.

China's Dongfang Electric Corp and EFT commenced building in 2013 and it was financed with the help of a $391.13m loan from the China Development Bank.

EFT, which focuses on power markets in central and southeast Europe, won a 30-year concession in 2008 to build the Stanari plant and expand an adjacent coal mine that will feed it at a total cost of $625.63m.

China is the vanguard of investment in coal power in the region with some 2800 MW planned across Balkan nations over the coming years.

There has been some concern that the investment in coal power will threaten Balkan country membership applications to join the EU, unless modern technology is comprehensively deployed.