Kakanj Thermal Power Plant
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Kakanj Thermal Power Plant is an operating power station of at least 450-megawatts (MW) in Kakanj, Zenica-Doboj, Bosnia and Herzegovina with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as Kakanj-B power station (Unit 8, Unit 9).
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Kakanj Thermal Power Plant | Kakanj, Zenica-Doboj, Bosnia and Herzegovina | 44.089633, 18.113865 (approximate)[1] |
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC1 | Announced[1] | fossil gas: natural gas[1] | 175[1] | combined cycle[1] | – | – | – |
| Unit 5 | Operating[2] | coal: lignite | 110 | subcritical | yes | 1969 | 2028 (planned)[3][4] |
| Unit 6 | Operating | coal: lignite | 110 | subcritical | yes | 1977 | – |
| Unit 7 | Operating | coal: lignite | 230 | unknown | yes | 1988 | – |
| Unit 8 | Cancelled | coal: lignite | 300 | unknown | – | 2028 (planned)[5] | – |
| Unit 9 | Cancelled | coal: lignite | 300 | unknown | – | 2032 | – |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| CC1 | Elektroprivreda BiH dd [100%][6] | Elektroprivreda BiH dd [100.0%] |
| Unit 5 | Elektroprivreda BiH dd [100%][6] | Elektroprivreda BiH dd [100.0%] |
| Unit 6 | Elektroprivreda BiH dd [100%][6] | Elektroprivreda BiH dd [100.0%] |
| Unit 7 | Elektroprivreda BiH dd [100%][6] | Elektroprivreda BiH dd [100.0%] |
| Unit 8 | Elektroprivreda BiH dd [100%][6] | Elektroprivreda BiH dd [100.0%] |
| Unit 9 | Elektroprivreda BiH dd [100%][6] | Elektroprivreda BiH dd [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): Kakanj, Breza and Zenica mines, Kakanj, Breza and Zenica mine
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
The plant is owned and operated by Elektroprivreda BiH, a publicly owned power utility. The plant supplies electricity to the grid and heat to the city of Kakanj.[7]
On its website, Elektroprivreda BiH stated that 32 megawatt (units 1 and 2) were commissioned in 1956. A further two 32MW units were commissioned in 1960. These four units have now been decommissioned. The 110 MW Units 5 and 6 were commissioned in 1969 and 1977. Both these units were modernized in the mid 1990's following the Bosnian War. The 230 MW Unit 7 was commissioned in 1988 and then rebuilt.[7][8]
The plant produced 1,978 GWh in 2021, 1,924 GWh in 2022[9] and 1,431 GWh in 2024.[10]
In November 2025, Elektroprivreda BiH shut down Units 5 and 7 after the mayor of Kakanj municipality protested the power station’s contribution to “unprecedented” air pollution levels. The utility reportedly agreed to operate only Unit 6, which supplies district heating in Kakanj.[11]
Desulfurization and denitrification projects
As of December 2024, Elektroprivreida BiH and a consortium led by China’s Dongfang Electric International Corporation signed an agreement on building a flue gas desulfurization unit for Units 6 and 7, aimed at bringing the plant into compliance with Energy Community requirements and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s National Emission Reduction Plan.[12]
In October 2025, Elektroprivreda (EPBiH) reported progress on a desulfurization project at Kakanj thermal power plant Units 6 and 7. The project is expected to reduce sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions by approximately 98.5%, cutting concentrations from around 9,000 mg/Nm³ to below 150 mg/Nm³—nearly a 60-fold reduction. The desulfurization facility, jointly serving both units, is valued at BAM 126.4 million (EUR 62.8 million) and is financed from EPBiH’s own funds. In parallel, EPBiH plans to install a denitrification system, valued at EUR 28.1 million, to ensure compliance with nitrogen oxide (NOₓ) limits. Upon completion of both projects, the utility stated that Kakanj TPP would be able to continue operating beyond 2028 in line with EU environmental directives.[13]
In parallel, EPBiH was carrying out the revitalization of Unit 7 – an investment worth BAM 80 million (EUR 40.9 million). These works should be completed by the end of May 2026, extending the unit’s lifespan by another 15 years. Due to these activities, the plant’s current production was around 40% of its full capacity, according to the statement.[13]
Coal supply
As of 2012, Elektroprivreda BiH stated on its website that the Kakanj power station burned approximately 1.8 million tonnes of coal from "mines Kakanj coal mine, Breza and Zenica coal mine and in smaller amount mines Gračanica, Bila and Livno."[7]
Unit 5 Unlawful Operation
Kakanj-5 unit was approved for opt-out in 2016 by the Energy Community Ministerial Council at the end of their 20,000-hour limits.[14] Among other plants, Unit 5 may be exempted from compliance with the emission limit values subject to (a) submitting each year a record of the used and unused time allowed for the remaining operational life and (b) they are operated not more than 20 000 operating hours in the period from January 2018 to 31 December 2023.[15]
In March 2022, a proposal was made to extend the operation of Unit 5 until 2028, despite the expiry of the limited lifetime derogation period (also known as opt-out mechanism). The Energy Community Secretariat said this was "a clear breach of the obligations of Bosnia and Herzegovina under the Energy Community Treaty".[14]
In October 2022, Energy Community initiated action against Bosnia and Herzegovina over the decision. They claimed that the country had breached pollution limits and failed to install necessary upgrades as mandated by the Large Combustion Plants Directive. BiH had two months to respond to the decision.[16] As of May 2023, there was no news on the outcome of this action. A media source from July 2023 stated that the draft NECP 2023 (see below) did not hide the fact that Kakanj 5 will continue to operate after the end of its permitted lifetime.[17] The Energy Community Secretariat in its comments and recommendations on the draft NECP published in December 2023 referred to the unlawful operation of Unit 5.[18] However other sources including EPBIH's updated business plans released in October 2023, March 2024 and in December 2024 stated that Unit 5 will remain in operation.[19][20][21]
As of December 2023, Elektroprivreda BiH was pursuing a potential biomass conversion of Unit 5. The unit would fire woody biomass and "mixed waste".[22] The conversion was proposed in July 2019.[23]
'Comply or Close' updated report published by Bankwatch in September 2024 called for the immediate cancellation to extend the lifetime of the unit (i.e. to 2028) and to close it.[24] However as of December 2024, the unit remained operational with no amended plans to close it. In a media report dated November 2024, Elektroprivreda BiH's executive director Fahrudin Tanovic stated that it will shut two of the six production units on its two coal-powered plants by 2027.[25] (this was presumably referring to Kakanj 5 and Tuzla 4). However, this was not backed by any official company's announcements.
The regulator's planning reports from June 2024 and April 2025 stated that Unit 5 will be offline in 2028.[26][27] In December 2025, in its Business Plan for 2026–2028 the EPBiH reported that BiH Parliament approved an extension of operations for Kakanj TPP Unit 5, allowing the unit to continue running without annual operating-hour limits.[28]
Proposed expansion
Unit 8
A possible 300 MW expansion was floated by Elektroprivreda BiH. China National Electric Engineering CO., Ltd (CNEEC) reportedly expressed interest in the project. In May 2011, Elektroprivreda BiH stated that CNEEC had gained Chinese government and bank support to finance the project. It was also reported that construction of the new unit was "planned in mid-2013".[29]
A long-range plan for Elektroprivrede released in 2014 showed Unit 8 as scheduled for construction in 2018 and entering service in 2022.[30]
On its website (2014), Elektroprivreda BiH stated that the power station received an environmental permit, and construction was scheduled to begin in 2015 and end in 2019.[31]
According to a March 2017 report by Bankwatch, the plant’s original environmental permit expired.[32] A new one appeared issued in July 2017.[33]
On May 21, 2019, it was reported that the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) had tasked the state-owned power utility EPBiH "to accelerate all activities related to the projects for the construction of new units at existing coal-fired thermal power plants Tuzla (unit 7) and Kakanj (unit 8), as well as the project for the construction of TPP Banovici near the coalmine of the same name."[34]
In late 2021, the ministry released the non-technical summary of the request for an environmental permit for public comment. Unit 8 was described as a proposed replacement for units 1, 2, 3 and 4, which are already closed, as well as for unit 5, which is expected to cease operations after the commissioning of unit 8. The investment in unit 8 was estimated at EUR 500 million, with an additional EUR 100 million for coal mines.[35]
EPBIH's 2023-2025 business plan approved in December 2022 still noted it would build Kakanj 8.[36] A year later, updated EPBIH's 2023-2025 business plan released in October 2023 also referred to the plan to build Unit 8 by 2028.[19] According to Bankwatch as well, EPBIH claims the unit will be online by 2028.
In March 2024, the updated business plan of EPBIH for 2024-2026 had no mention of the Kakanj Unit 8.[20] Given that the unit has no permits, no funding and was not the subject of more active discussions in 2023 and 2024, the unit was considered shelved, as of April 2024. Likewise, the business for 2025-2027 released in December 2024 did not mention Unit 8.[21] The business plan for 2026-2028, released in December 2025, also did not mention Unit 8.[28]
With no no mention of unit 8 in EPBIH planning documents since 2023, plans for the unit appear to be cancelled.
Unit 9
In 2014, an additional 300 MW expansion was announced for construction in 2028 and operation by 2032.[30] The expansion project was presumed cancelled as of July 2022 as there were no known updates since 2014.
Draft NECP (2023): No New Coal
In April 2023, Bosnia and Herzegovina announced a draft national energy plan until 2030 that foresees no new coal-fired plants.[37]
In July 2023, a ‘public’ consultation about Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) draft National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) was underway. Bankwatch Network summarized the following: "Despite considerable solar and wind potential, the Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska governments have relentlessly pushed to build new coal plants such as Tuzla 7 and Ugljevik III – as well as decades-old hydropower projects in highly sensitive locations – long past their sell-by dates. These dinosaurs have heavily burdened previous energy planning and left little space for new ideas. But the draft NECP finally looks like it was written in the 21st Century: it states that there will be no new fossil fuel plants – coal or gas. This is a significant step that must be maintained in the final version of the NECP."[38][39]
In December 2023, Energy Community Secretariat published comments and recommendations on the draft NECP, summarizing that "the draft plan its current form lacks the analytical basis, the assessment of the impacts of the planned policies and the investments needed to achieve the corresponding targets and objectives. It does not fulfil its objective, namely, to provide a clear set of policies and measures that will set Bosnia and Herzegovina on a predictable path to achieve its 2030 energy and climate targets." Detailed recommendations were provided in the Secretariat report. The final NECP had to be submitted until 30 June 2024.[18]
The Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina conducted additional public consultations and developed a final draft in July 2024.[40][41] No new coal was envisaged, but there was no coal phase out plan provided either. The latest publicly available draft still contained missing elements such as an analytical basis, formulation of tangible policies and measures with an assessment of the impacts and the investments needed to achieve the corresponding targets and objectives. The Government still needed to conduct Strategic Environmental Assessment and incorporate the findings in the final document.[40]
As of March 2025, BiH has not yet adopted its final NECP.[42] Similarly, as of December 2025, the final NECP has not been adopted yet.[43]
Financing
- Unit 8: Proposed in 2011 - loans from China Development Bank[29]
Environmental impact
In 2024, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s thermal power plants became the region’s top sulfur dioxide polluters for the first time, releasing a total of 212,840 tonnes, or 17.1% more than in 2023 and 11.3 times above the permitted level.[13]
In a report from June 2025, CEE Bankwatch revealed that Kakanj Unit 6 had released more than 11 times the allowable limit of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in 2024, under the National Emissions Reduction Plans of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia.[44][45]
In late 2025, operations at the Kakanj thermal power plant were temporarily scaled back following record air pollution levels in the municipality. Local authorities requested that the plant limit its activity to district heating only, citing unprecedented concentrations of pollutants and serious public health risks. During this period, Unit 6 remained the only unit in operation, supplying heat to the district heating system, while electricity generation was curtailed. Municipal authorities also demanded inspections of the plant and updates on the progress of the ongoing desulfurization project, amid reports that sulfur dioxide concentrations had exceeded all permitted limits.[10]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 (PDF) https://www.nosbih.ba/files/2025/04/20250417-lat-Indikativni-plan-razvoja-proizvodnje-2026-2035.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.epbih.ba/upload/documents/92SD_Plan%20poslovanja_spojeno.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240207001922/https://balkangreenenergynews.com/energy-community-prolonging-operation-of-coal-plants-in-bih-is-breach-of-treaty/. Archived from the original on 2024-02-07.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://www.nosbih.ba/files/2024/07/20240729-lat-Indikativni-plan-razvoja-proizvodnje-2025-2034.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240207001916/https://www.epbih.ba/upload/documents/77SD_Odluka_Revidovani_sa_prilogom.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-02-07.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 https://web.archive.org/web/20240207001033/https://www.epbih.ba/eng/page/subsidiaries. Archived from the original on 2024-02-07.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Thermal-power plant Kakanj," Elektroprivreda BiH website, accessed September 2012
- ↑ "TPP Kakanj". www.epbih.ba. Retrieved May 2023.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|access-date=(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Electricity balance of the Company". www.epbih.ba. 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Coal plant Kakanj in BiH halts electricity production amid record air pollution". AEA-AL. 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ “Coal plant Kakanj in BiH halts electricity production amid record air pollution,” Balkan Green Energy News, November 18, 2025
- ↑ "Chinese-led consortium to build desulfurization unit at BiH's power plant Kakanj". /balkangreenenergynews.com. December 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "Desulfurization project at Kakanj thermal power plant to cut emissions by almost 100%". Balkan Green Energy News. October 31, 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Energy Community: Prolonging operation of coal plants in BiH is breach of treaty," Balkan Green Energy News, March 28, 2022
- ↑ "Energy Community Secretariat's SUMMARY REPORT" (PDF). www.energy-community.org. 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Secretariat launches dispute settlement procedure against Bosnia and Herzegovina for breaching Large Combustion Plants Directive in the case of Tuzla 4 and Kakanj 5," Energy Community, October 28, 2022
- ↑ "Bosnia and Herzegovina is not planning new Coal or Gas Power Plants". sarajevotimes.com. July 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 18.0 18.1 "RECOMMENDATIONS 2/2023 by the Energy Community Secretariat on the Draft integrated National Energy and Climate Plan of Bosnia and Herzegovina". /energycommunity-my.sharepoint.com. 26 December 2023.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 59 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 19.0 19.1 "REVIDOVANI PLAN POSLOVANJA za period 2023. - 2025. godina u dijelu koji se odnosi na 2023. godinu" (PDF). www.epbih.ba. 17 October 2023.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 11 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 20.0 20.1 "PLAN POSLOVANJA za period 2024. - 2026. godina" (PDF). www.epbih.ba. March 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 21.0 21.1 "PLAN POSLOVANJA za period 2025 - 2027. godina" (PDF). www.epbih.ba/. December 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Short-rotation coppicing: No credible option for fuelling new biomass plants in Bosnia and Herzegovina," biofuelwatch, December 2023
- ↑ "Bioenergy Retrofits for Europe’s Industry – Kick-off meeting for the Kakanj and Tuzla case studies," BIOFIT, August 5, 2019
- ↑ "Comply or Close (2024 update)" (PDF). bankwatch.org/. September 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "In Bosnia, the path to renewables runs through its coal mines". www.france24.com/. November 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Indikativni plan razvoja proizvodnje 2026-2035" (PDF). www.nosbih.ba. April 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Indikativni plan razvoja proizvodnje 2025-2034" (PDF). /www.nosbih.ba/. June 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 28.0 28.1 "Obrazloženje Odluke o utvrđivanju Prijedloga Plana poslovanja Javnog preduzeća Elektroprivreda Bosne i Hercegovine d.d. - Sarajevo za period 2026. - 2028. godina" (PDF). /www.epbih.ba/. December 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 29.0 29.1 "China's CNEEC eyes Bosnia's $584 mln coal-fired unit," Reuters, May 30, 2011
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 "Dugoročni plan razvoja Elektroprivrede BiH do 2030. sa Strategijskim planom," Electroprivreda Bosne i Hercegovine, May 29, 2014, p. 142
- ↑ "Unit 8 TPP 'Kakanj,'” Elektroprivreda BiH, accessed May 2014
- ↑ "Carbon costs for planned coal power plants in the Western Balkans and the risk of stranded assets," Bankwatch, March 29, 2017
- ↑ "Block 8 Permit," Bosnia Ministry of Environment and Tourism, July 7, 2017
- ↑ "Bosnia and Herzegovina: FBiH Government to accelerate TPP Tuzla, Banovici projects," SEE Energy News, May 2019
- ↑ "EPBiH preparing to build another coal power plant – unit 8 in TPP Kakanj," Balkan Green Energy News, December 21, 2021
- ↑ "General Meeting Adopted Business Plan 2023-2025," EPBIH, December 2022
- ↑ "BiH's NECP: coal power plants to be shut, 2 GW of renewables installed". balkangreenenergynews.com. April 28, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Bosnia and Herzegovina’s draft NECP: The good, the bad and the ugly, Bankwatch, July 20, 2023
- ↑ "INTEGRIRANI PLAN ZA ENERGIJU I KLIMU BOSNE I HERCEGOVINE," Verzija 7, 2023
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 "NECPs progress update in the Western Balkans: Failure to launch". caneurope.org. December 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "INTEGRIRANI ENERGETSKI I KLIMATSKI PLAN BOSNE I HERCEGOVINE ZA PERIOD DO 2030. GODINE Verzija 8.6" (PDF). kfbih.com. July 2024.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 35 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "The southern gas interconnection from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina" (PDF). bankwatch.org/. March 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Country profile. Europe's environment 2025. Bosnia and Herzegovina". https://www.eea.europa.eu//. September 28, 2025. Retrieved Dec 16, 2025.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ↑ “Western Balkan governments still complicit in deadly coal pollution – new report,” CEE Bankwatch, June 17, 2025
- ↑ “Comply or Close: Seven years of deadly legal breaches by Western Balkan coal plants,” CEE Bankwatch, June 2025
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
