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June 11, 2025
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TotalEnergies to build 100 MW solar power plant with energy storage in Cyprus

TotalEnergies is betting big on the solar power market in Cyprus. It won the environmental approval for a photovoltaic park of 100 MW in peak capacity, with energy storage. It intends to build it in an area previously designated for a golf course.

France-based TotalEnergies is an oil supermajor, but also one of the world’s largest renewable energy developers. The company is planning to build a photovoltaic system in Cyprus equivalent to a quarter of all the current capacity in larger solar power units in the country, even though the competition in the segment is enormous.

At the same time, grid stability in the island state is under jeopardy given the surge in PV investments and the lack of energy storage. According to a recent statistical report, Cyprus hosted almost 850 MW of solar power, of which less than 400 MW was in commercial photovoltaic plants. Prosumers operated the rest. Licensed projects amounted to 2.8 GW.

In the first five months of the year, according to the CyprusGrid tracker, 58% of green electricity production was curtailed, out of a potential 251 GWh, pv magazine reported. It compares to 29% in all of 2024, 13.4% the year before and 3.3% in 2022.

The Department of Environment has issued consent for TotalEnergies’ solar power project of 100 MW in peak capacity, Philenews reported. The company is conducting it in cooperation with Universal Green Energies. It is a subsidiary of Universal Golf Enterprises, the owner of the land.

The environmental authority’s positive opinion is valid for the duration of urban planning and other permits.

Environmental approval conditioned on wildlife protection, reforesting

The area of 200 hectares was originally intended for a golf course. It is on the territory of the villages of Vasa Kellakiou, Asgata and Sanida in the Limassol district.

The photovoltaic park would cover 83 hectares, of which 44 hectares would be under solar panels. The plan includes a substation and energy storage. Annual output is estimated at 160 GWh, equivalent to the electricity needs of 33,000 households.

The PV park would generate an estimated 160 GWh per year

TotalEnergies and its partner are obligated to protect fauna and flora and exclude water streams and protected zones from construction works. They are not allowed to install solar panels on land with a slope higher than 25%. The companies especially need to preserve the habitats of protected species, including the Bonelli eagle.

The environmental approval was issued with a condition to plant trees and shrubs instead of the ones that would be removed during construction.

Villagers concerned about environmental, economic impact

Some representatives of the local population in Sanida expressed concern, among other matters, over the effect of the planned solar park on the air temperature in the area. Residents of Asgata argued that the local community would benefit more from a golf course.

At the end of the first quarter, TotalEnergies had 28 GW of gross renewable electricity capacity installed worldwide. It aims to reach 35 GW by the end of the year and 100 GW in 2030.

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June 10, 2025
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EU’s strategic status for Rio Tinto’s lithium project risks fueling tensions in Serbia

After the European Commission declared Rio Tinto’s project Jadar a strategic raw materials project, the company and Serbian officials claimed it implies the strictest environmental protection standards and that it would enable the creation of up to 20,000 highly qualified jobs. The opposition and local and environmentalist activists vowed to continue to resist the plan to launch a lithium mine and processing facility, and accused the European Union of colonialism.

The addition of the planned lithium mine near the city of Loznica in Serbia to the EU’s strategic projects for essential raw materials has again stirred up public controversy in the country, after several waves of social unrest. Rio Tinto stressed that it remains committed to dialogue with all stakeholders.

Brnabić: It’s not true that Serbia is a European mining colony

Both the global mining giant and Serbia’s National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabić claim that project Jadar would enable the creation of up to 20,000 jobs. The environmental standards for similar projects in the EU will need to be completely replicated, she asserted. It also shows that it’s not true that Serbia is a European mining colony, like what certain people said, Brnabić added.

“We won’t be exporting our lithium, but use it for improving the standard of living,” she stated.

Of note, the European Union only endorsed the mining segment of the project as strategic, while Rio Tinto has also published plans for a processing facility for jadarite, a lithium and boron mineral.

Ecological Uprising’s leader Aleksandar Jovanović Ćuta says decision is death sentence

Member of parliament Aleksandar Jovanović Ćuta called on citizens, students and environmentalist organizations to an “all-out mobilization” and added that they wouldn’t allow lithium to be mined. He is the most prominent figure in the Ekološki ustanak (Ecological Uprising) movement. “A death sentence has been signed for everything in the Jadar valley that breathes, lives, moves and flows,” and the population in the affected area in western Serbia was “designated the destiny of becoming environmental refugees,” in his opinion.

“Anyone who includes such projects in their agendas, whether it is the European Union or Russia – such people don’t want anything good for us,” Jovanović said.

The opponents of project Jadar are accusing the EU and Serbian authorities of colonialist relations

The Kreni-promeni (Go-Change) movement, which has representatives in local parliaments in the largest cities, recalled that the Government of Serbia abolished the Jadar project in early 2022, following large environmental protests and blockades. “The latest attempts to revive the project were preceded by the controversial ruling of the Constitutional Court, which Kreni-promeni deems synchronized and contrary to the principles of the rule of law and the constitutional separation of powers,” its statement adds.

The country’s parliament never voted on a people’s initiative, signed by over 38,000 citizens, even though it was legally obligated to.

Assigning the strategic status is a new proof of colonial policy toward Serbia, which is supposed to secure raw materials for the stumbling automotive industry in the EU, according to Novi DSS, a right-wing parliamentary opposition party. There can be no jadarite mining, it stressed in its reaction.

Not enough transparency or local population’s participation in decision making

The EU’s strategic projects lack proper safeguards, transparency, and local involvement – putting human rights, indigenous rights, and environmental protection at serious risk, the EU Raw Materials Coalition (EURMC) said in a statement published by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), a network of environmentalist groups.

It risks repeating colonial patterns of resource extraction, they warned. Several selected projects from the new list are in countries outside of the EU with weak industrial governance systems, nongovernmental organizations underscored.

Matković: The EU just added fuel to the fire

Endorsing project Jadar despite unresolved legal, environmental, and social issues suggests a troubling disregard for public opposition and due process, EEB said. The move risks reigniting tensions on the ground, it warned.

“The EU just added fuel to fire. It backed an authoritarian regime and a corporation against whom 63% of the population now stand to fight at a time when the entire country is under blockade and violence. The EU will thus lose support in Serbia and the region and probably cause further social unrest. The fact that the Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced the board’s decision more than a week before it was public, also raises questions of legitimacy behind the decision,” said Aleksandar Matković, a research associate from the Institute of Economic Sciences in Belgrade, Serbia.

EU fueling euroscepticism

Berlin-based Heinrich Böll Stiftung – Foundation argued that with its new move, the EU ignored the lack of rule of law in Serbia and intense domestic opposition to Rio Tinto’s investment in Serbia.

“Activists and students involved in the pro-democracy movement argue that the EU’s endorsement undermines democratic voices and risks fueling Euroscepticism in the region. With Serbia’s government under pressure from ongoing protests and corruption allegations, the EU’s move is seen as politically damaging and potentially destabilizing,” it said.

The foundation is in close relations with German opposition party Alliance 90/The Greens.

Balkan Green Energy News has published a chronological overview of the key events since 2001, when Rio Tinto arrived in Serbia.

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June 10, 2025
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Greece plans six waste-to-energy plants, set to meet EU landfilling limits

Large Greek companies, interested in the construction and operation of waste incinerators producing electricity and heat, are waiting for the government to complete the legal framework and launch tenders. Without the six planned facilities and accompanying infrastructure, the country would substantially lag behind the European Union’s targets for lowering the share of landfilled material.

Greece is transforming its waste management sector – dozens of units mechanically treating the material to feed six incinerators, covering all the regions. The Ministry of Environment and Energy is about to complete a strategic environmental assessment (SEA), after which its plan is to adopt a legal framework, before the end of the year.

Following a public consultation process, the general parameters would be determined including the details of a tender for the waste-to-energy plants. They are valued at EUR 1 billion in total. State-controlled Public Power Corp. (PPC or, in Greek, DEI) has expressed interest in entering the sector, alongside the conglomerates GEK Terna and Metlen, construction company Aktor, oil refinery operator Motor Oil and water, wastewater and waste processing operator Mesogeos.

The ministry intends to complete the competitive process in 2026, followed by a three-year construction period. The Greek media learned that public-private partnership is a favorable model for the investments.

At least two of six plants would provide district heating

In the central scenario, an incinerator in the Rhodope area would serve the wider region of East Macedonia and Thrace. One would be in Kozani, a coal region, for Central and Western Macedonia, Epirus, Thessaly and Corfu.

The government envisaged a unit in the Peloponnese to cover Western Greece, the Peloponnese peninsula itself and the Ionian Sea, excluding Corfu. One waste-to-energy plant is planned in Boeotia (Viotia), covering parts of Central Greece and the western part of Attica.

The waste incinerator in Kozani is likely to be built in the vicinity of Ptolemaida 5, Greece’s last coal power plant

In the same peninsula, where Athens is situated, a unit would also get shipments of waste from the north Aegean islands, one section of the Cyclades archipelago and the Dodecanese. An incineration plant in Heraklion (Iraklio) would be for Crete, Santorini, Karpathos and Rhodes.

The combined annual capacity of the six units is projected at 1.19 million tons. The largest ones are the Attica project (356,000 tons) and the Kozani plant (288,000 tons). The latter, which would probably be located near PPC’s Ptolemaida 5 coal power plant, is also seen providing up to 40% of the district heating needs in the area. The investment is valued at EUR 300 million.

Ptolemaida 5 is scheduled to be closed at the end of next year, marking the completion of Greece’s coal phaseout. The waste incinerator in Boeotia would provide district heating as well, the plan reads.

System for energy recovery clings on construction of mechanical treatment units, waste separation

On the logistics side, there are 13 waste treatment units in operation in Greece and 25 are under construction. The ministry expects all units to be complete by 2029, to feed the incinerators.

The capacity amounts to 1.45 million tons per year altogether, of which 651,000 tons of waste would be processed into solid recovered fuel (SRF), which is of higher quality. The energy-intensive industry would absorb 150,000 tons. The development of the treatment system requires substantial infrastructure including the selection of municipal waste selection at the source.

Up to 651,000 tons of SRF is expected to be produced per year in the waste treatment facilities

The estimated electricity production from 1.19 million tons of waste is 1.03 TWh, equivalent to 2% of the country’s total consumption. Notably, 57.5% of the projected output is considered renewable energy, in line with the portion of biodegradable waste.

In the study, the options to deploy pyrolysis or gasification technologies were rejected. The authors argued they are not viable in Europe. It left incineration as the only option to recover energy from waste.

If the incinerators aren’t built, but the energy-intensive industry receives the same amount of SRF, 22.7% of waste would be landfilled in 2030, projections showed. The European Union’s target is 10%. The share of landfilled waste rises to 29.2% in the same scenario.

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June 10, 2025
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Serbia shelves plan for strategic partnership for 1 GW in wind farms

Serbia has revised its Baselines of the Energy Infrastructure Development Plan and Energy Efficiency Measures for the period up to 2028, with projections up to 2030. It defines priority projects in the energy sector.

The Baselines of the Energy Infrastructure Development Plan and Energy Efficiency Measures were adopted in mid-2023 at the proposal of the Ministry of Mining and Energy. In the new document, the construction of 1 GW wind farms is no longer among the priority projects. The plan was to involve with a strategic partner, similar to the project for 1 GW of solar power plants, which is currently being developed by state-owned power utility Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) with a strategic partner.

The development plan serves as a basis for the implementation of Serbia’s Energy Development Strategy and the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP).

The ministry outlined projects across six sectors

The investment cycle planned for the upcoming strategic period represents the backbone of the Energy Development Strategy. It provides the foundation for further assessments and projections of the targeted energy mix through 2030 and 2050. It aligns with the international commitments undertaken in the process of European Union accession as well as with the obligations within the Energy Community, the document reads.

The plan includes projects in six sectors: electricity generation, transmission network, distribution network, natural gas, oil and petroleum products, and energy efficiency. It ranks the projects within each sector.

The most significant change in renewable energy is that the construction of wind farms with a combined capacity of 1 GW is no longer on the list of priority projects.

Solar power plants Kolubara and Morava on the priority list

The 1 GW of solar power and the Kostolac wind farm remained among the four most important endeavors, while the new items are the Morava and Kolubara photovoltaic projects. The Klenovnik solar power plant has been removed from the list. According to the document, the projects on the list are the most advanced.

In total, EPS has 41 projects for power generation or 20 less than in the original document.

Fewer projects, but more realistic

The authors explained that the number of renewable energy projects is lower, but more realistic and better optimized. The entire EPS investment portfolio across all areas requires significant funds and loans, so it would not be realistic to pursue a larger number of high-value projects that cannot be financially or physically implemented within a reasonable timeframe, the document underlined.

It was also taken into account that many private projects, mainly wind farms, are being developed through the auction system, so the focus of EPS’s projects is primarily on solar power plants, to create a balanced ratio between wind and solar power plants in the system. The company’s project for the wind farms with a strategic partner remained a backup option, in case an additional capacity is needed, according to the document.

There are new items on the list for the electricity distribution network

There were no changes in the transmission network segment. The priority projects are the third and fourth sections of the Trans-Balkan Corridor, the Pannonian Corridor, and Beogrid 2025. The list contains 66 investments, five fewer than in the original plan.

Changes have been made regarding investments in the power distribution network. The most important projects now are the 110/10 kV substations National Stadium and Surčin. Automation of the medium-voltage network was kept, together with the ongoing replacement of wooden poles with concrete ones and the replacement of electricity meters with smart ones.

The integrated system for remote monitoring, diagnostics, and control of the low-voltage distribution network has been removed from the list. Instead of replacing transformers at 10 kV, 20 kV, 35 kV, and 110 kV voltage levels, the new focus is on the reconstruction of 25 substations of 110/35 kV.

Planning the first district cooling systems

The energy efficiency part of the baselines was changed the most.

The previous document was primarily focused on reviewing and securing financial support for ongoing projects, while the current one is envisaging expanding the scope and considering new financial mechanisms and sectors that require additional support.

Among other initiatives, the Strategic Plan for the Decarbonization Policy of the District Heating and Cooling Sector in the Republic of Serbia is being prepared. It is a joint endeavour of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Association of Serbian Heating Plants, and the Ministry of Mining and Energy.

The project aims to define steps to improve the district heating system, including heat storage, the use of heat pumps, utilization of heat generated from waste treatment, and the development of the first district cooling systems, according to the document.

Special attention will be devoted to developing guidelines for expanding the district heating system by connecting new users while simultaneously shutting down fossil fuel boilers. It will directly contribute to reducing CO2 emissions and pollution, the authors noted.

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June 10, 2025
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Greenpeace maps Croatia’s path to 100% renewable power by 2030

Croatia can fully transition to using only renewable electricity by 2030, according to Greenpeace. The organization presented its study: 100% Renewable by 2030 – A Plan for the Green Transition of Croatian Power Sector in the country’s capital Zagreb. Political will is the precondition for materializing the goal, it said.

The study was conducted by an expert team led by Professor Goran Krajačić from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Zagreb. Of note, at the end of 2023, the share of electricity produced from renewables in total power consumption in the country exceeded 55%.

Greenpeace Croatia said the climate crisis, fueled by the fossil fuel industry, affects the entire world, including Europe and Croatia. The results are lost human lives and increasing material damage caused by extreme weather conditions, the organization noted.

Its ambitious goal for Croatia, to source all electricity from renewables by 2030, is based on a shift to solar and wind energy, as well as investments in the transmission network. The study puts the necessary solar power capacity at 5 GW, compared to 4.2 GW from wind.

In just five years, Greece, installed 7 GW of solar capacity, and Hungary added 5.5 GW

Greenpeace cites examples from the region. Croatia has five years until 2030, and the same period was enough for Greece to install 7 GW of solar capacity, while Hungary added 5.5 GW. Croatia has only recently reached 1 GW from photovoltaic system, despite ranking among the top countries in Europe in terms of solar potential, Greenpeace said.

According to Professor Goran Krajačić, the results of the study indicate that a firm political decision is needed to achieve 100% renewable electricity consumption in Croatia.

Andrić: A strong shift toward renewable energy is a strategic move for energy security, reduced dependence on fossil fuels, and economic opportunities

“Such a decision should include clear signals toward improving the power system, building and strengthening the grid and ensuring energy storage. Renewables also promote the democratization of society by involving citizens in energy communities to produce, store, and share energy,” Krajačić said.

Petra Andrić, program lead at Greenpeace in Croatia, stressed that a strong shift toward renewable energy as an ecologically sound decision. But it is also a strategic move for strengthening energy security, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and creating economic opportunities, she added.

Calculation: large investments but even greater savings

 

Power generation mix

The authors estimate the costs of building facilities and underwater cables and strengthening cross-border grid capacities at EUR 12.2 billion by 2030. If it were financed through commercial loans at a 5% interest rate with a 25-year repayment period, the annual payment would be EUR 864 million, according to the calculation.

The repayment would be financed from savings and additional revenues, the study revealed.

Savings from allowances for CO2 emissions from electricity production, using 2023 as a reference year with a CO2 price of EUR 83 per ton, would amount to EUR 198 million by 2030.

The presentation of the study also featured a panel discussion

Fuel cost savings for electricity production were estimated at EUR 231.2 million in 2030, and profits from net exported electricity would bring in EUR 360 million.

The savings and profits would cover the annual repayments of loans needed to build the facilities, making them financially viable under commercial terms, the study claimed.

The event also hosted a panel discussion featuring Professor Krajačić, member of the Croatian Parliament Dušica Radojčić, Mario Stipetić (Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition), Davor Škrlec (Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing – FER), Melani Furlan (Green Energy Cooperative – ZEZ), and Nina Domazet (Croatian Chamber of Commerce – HGK). It was moderated by Robert Pašičko from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

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June 10, 2025
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European Commission declares Jadar project in Serbia one of its strategic projects for critical raw materials

The European Commission published the list of the first 13 strategic projects for raw materials outside of the European Union. One of them is project Jadar in Serbia. It is the only one for lithium and boron. Notably, it got the strategic status only for extraction, even though Rio Tinto said it would also build a processing plant.

After adopting 47 strategic projects in line with the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) in March, today the European Commission added another 13, for locations outside of the EU’s borders. They include Rio Tinto’s controversial project Jadar in Serbia, for lithium and boron. The aim is to diversify the sources of supply and increase economic security, but alongside strengthening value creation in third countries, according to the update.

“Europe needs raw materials to succeed in our industrial and climate ambitions. The EU requires stable, secure and diversified supply chains,” said the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy Stéphane Séjourné.

Photo: European Commission

Strategic projects across globe

The first 13 strategic projects outside of the EU are in Canada, Greenland, Kazakhstan, Norway, Serbia, Ukraine, Zambia, New Caledonia, Brazil, Madagascar, Malawi, South Africa and the United Kingdom. They require EUR 5.5 billion in total capital investment to start operations, the European Commission said.

Séjourné revealed that investors filed 49 applications.

Project Jadar in western Serbia, near the city of Loznica, is the only one for lithium and boron. Interestingly, the European Commission only endorsed the extraction segment, even though Rio Tinto has said it would build a processing facility as well. According to today’s announcement, the investment aims to contribute to the supply of lithium – battery grade, and boron for metallurgy.

Several waves of mass rallies against project Jadar have been held throughout Serbia

The local population in the Jadar valley, environmentalist organizations and a number of experts have been opposing Rio Tinto for several years now, citing the lack of transparency and the risks for health, nature and agriculture, and especially the potential pollution of water sources. They held several waves of large countrywide protests.

Balkan Green Energy News has published a chronological overview of the key events since 2001, when Rio Tinto arrived in Serbia.

The mining giant is conducting project Jadar through its Serbian subsidiary Rio Sava Exploration.

Most projects are for graphite, cobalt, nickel

Most of the other endeavors entail the extraction and processing of graphite, cobalt and nickel. The remaining ones are for mining tungsten, rare earth elements, manganese and copper. A project conducted both in Greenland and Norway is for the extraction and processing of graphite.

Rare earth elements have a key role in producing high-performance magnets used in wind turbines or electric motors for renewable energy technologies and electromobility. Boron is used in the automotive, renewable energy, aerospace and defence sectors.

Lithium ion batteries are currently the dominant technology in the electricity storage segment, excluding pumped storage hydropower plants. The alkali metal has a range of applications: from consumer electronics and electric vehicles to stationary facilities within renewable power plants or for grid balancing.

The selected projects meet the environmental, social and governance standards stipulated in CRMA, together with technical feasibility, the EU executive said. They are eligible for support by the European Commission, member states and financial institutions, including “contacts with relevant offtakers,” it added.

Kokanović: We continue resistance

Local activist from the Ne damo Jadar group Zlatko Kokanović said the academic community and the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) have clearly rejected Rio Tinto’s lithium project. He also claimed that 63.5% of citizens also oppose it, apparently citing results of a recent survey.

The European Commission’s decision doesn’t guarantee environmental standards, Kokanović told Beta news agency. “It is quite hypocritical from a Europe promoting the rule of law, democracy, freedom of speech, a healthy environment and clean air, water and soil. To the detriment of our health and the health of our children, they want to take our lithium and turn us into a waste dump so that they live healthy,” he stated.

There isn’t any such mining project in a densely populated area and on fertile land anywhere in the world, the activist argued. “It is essentially an experimental facility. They don’t have answers to all questions and their main slogan is: ‘We will try to reduce risks’. We now live without risks, we don’t need to reduce them. If an incident happens, they will say that they are acknowledging the mistake, that they will try not to repeat it, and they will apologize. We don’t have anything from it,” Kokanović underscored.

Separately today, he vowed to continue the resistance with all allowed and forbidden and available means. Kokanović resides in the village of Gornje Nedeljice, the site of the proposed mine.

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