Kolubara A power station

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Kolubara A power station is an operating power station of at least 239-megawatts (MW) in Veliki Crljeni, Lazarevac, Beograd, Serbia with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Kolubara A power station	Veliki Crljeni, Lazarevac, Beograd, Serbia	44.480312, 20.293538 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5: 44.480312, 20.293538

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year	Retired year
Unit 1	operating	coal - lignite	32	subcritical	1956	2024 (planned)
Unit 2	operating	coal - lignite	32	subcritical	1957	2024 (planned)
Unit 3	operating	coal - lignite	65	subcritical	1961	2024 (planned)
Unit 4	mothballed	coal - lignite	32	subcritical	1961	2024 (planned)
Unit 5	operating	coal - lignite	110	subcritical	1979	2024 (planned)

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner
Unit 1	Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD (EPS) [100.0%]
Unit 2	Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD (EPS) [100.0%]
Unit 3	Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD (EPS) [100.0%]
Unit 4	Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD (EPS) [100.0%]
Unit 5	Elektroprivreda Srbije Beograd AD (EPS) [100.0%]

Project-level coal details

• Coal source(s): Polje B mine, Polje D mine, Tamnava Istok mine, Tamnava Zapad mine

Background

The power station is owned and operated by Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), a government-owned utility.

It was put into operation in 1956 with two units of 32 MW each. In 1960, third unit was commissioned with 65 MW, and the following year, in 1961, another 32 MW unit was put into operation. In 1979, the fifth unit of 110 MW unit was commissioned and total installed capacity reached 271 MW.

EPS's website and a media report from 2023 refer to the plant's capacity at 239 MW , which is 32 MW lower than the original capacity of 271 MW. It appears that one of the 32 MW units was mothballed as EPS's website still refers to 5 units.

Based on the company's technical reports, net capacity of the station decreased between 2014 and 2015 and remained at that level, as of 2022. Unit 4 is presumed mothballed around this date based on these reports and earlier sources.

The plant produced 309 GWh in 2022.

Coal supply

Coal for the plant is supplied from Kolubara Mine Complex.

Through the end of 2021 and beginning of 2022, Serbia faced issues with poor quality coal. Imported coal was necessary to keep the grid operating.

Proposed coal phase out

In 2021, state-owned power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) said that in line with the obligations set out in the Energy Community Treaty and in line with the National Emissions Reduction Plan (NERP), Kolubara A may terminate production after 2023. EPS announced a tender in May 2021 for a study on the construction of solar power plants on the ash dumps of Morava power station and Kolubara A power station.

Reporting as of January 2022 cited the possibility of decommissioning the plant partially or fully in 2022 and 2023.

Following the announcement of the power station's anticipated closure, mine and power plant workers protested the decision. Soon after, the Ministry of Mining and Energy stated that they would establish a commission for just transition that would develop a plan for thermal energy generation until 2050.

As of January 2023, Elektroprivreda Srbije had plans to replace the power station with a 71 MW solar farm Kolubara A solar farm.

In February 2023, EPS announced that Kolubara power station will be shut down by the end of 2024.

Draft NECP (2023): No New Coal

It was reported in April 2023 that Serbia was soon expected to officially announce its intention to phase out coal as soon as possible or by the end of 2050 at the latest. The obligations to decarbonize and shut down thermal power plants are part of a bill on the ratification of a contract on guarantees for the EUR 300 million loan that Elektroprivreda Srbije secured from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

In July 2023, Serbia’s draft National Energy and Climate Plan was on public consultation. As Bankwatch summarized, no new coal plants seemed to be planned after Kostolac B3, but there was no information about the phase-out timetable for existing plants. In November 2023, Energy Community Secretariat released comments and recommendations on the draft NECP. Serbia should present the final draft by June 2024.

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.