Dangerous lignite: Bosnia and Herzegovina has problems with its energy transition | Euronews

## Summary
By&nbsp Hans von der Brelie Published on 03/04/2026 - 15:00 GMT+2 Share Comments Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Copy/paste the article video embed link below: Copied Will Bosnia-Herzegovina's belated start to the energy transition delay its EU accession? Hans von der Brelie Euronews: “In 2050, will this mine still be working or not?” Delibašić: “We can say that Bosnia and Herzegovina still lacks a lot of energy. Hans von der Brelie Euronews: “Can air pollution kill?” Balorda: “Of course, because in this period large numbers of lung cancers have been discovered. Hans von der Brelie Euronews: “Pollution levels are really high in Bosnia and Herzegovina and you are not complying with the European Union’s Large Combusion Plant Directive.

## Article Content
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Hans von der Brelie
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03/04/2026 - 15:00 GMT+2
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Will Bosnia-Herzegovina's belated start to the energy transition delay its EU accession? The country is struggling to move away from coal-fired power generation. There is a shortage of desulphurisation plants. The air pollution is at an extreme level. The consequences are serious: Cancer from coal?
In Kakanj, an industrial town in the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina, everything revolves around lignite. Thousands of jobs depend on it.
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Here lie 440 million tonnes of coal, one of the largest deposits in Europe. I get special authorisation to enter the huge open-cast pit.
Kakanj - one of the biggest lignite deposits in Europe.
Muamer Kolar
Coal was already being mined in Kakanj during the time of the Austrian emperor. Before World War I, some five thousand miners toiled here. Today, there are still 1200.
One of them is Omer Hrustić: “I was literally a kid when my uncle brought me to the work site. Yeah, it’s three generations, literally. My granddad, my grandfather, my uncle… every male figure in my family is tied to mining. Mining is a big part of my life.”
Omer Hrustić: “Mining is a big part of my life."
Hans von der Brelie
Production in Kakanj is now set to rise from 700.000 tonnes last year to 800.000 tonnes in 2026. This is despite the fact that burning lignite releases extremely high levels of pollutants. And there are massive emissions of CO2 and SO2.
Fossil fuels are the main cause of global warming and the climate crisis. Mining engineer Omer Hrustić knows this too: "As a society, we need to look for better ways to supply energy. When the time comes, we need to be prepared. But we are currently dependent on coal. And on our work, our hard work."
There are seven state-owned coal mines in the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina (the other being Republika Srpska with two big coal mines). Their mountain of debt is totalling around one hundred million euros.
Iso Delibašić, director of the Kakanj coal mine.
Muamer Kolar
Financial disaster plus environmental problems: Why keep digging instead of phasing out coal? Iso Delibašić is the director of the Kakanj coal mine: "Bosnia and Herzegovina needs energy. The future of the coal mine must not be called into question."
“Let’s do some maths”, I ask Delibašić, “take the coal you still have in the ground today, how many years could it last?” The coal mine director estimates, that the geological reserves of the Kakanj coal mines could last “for the next 40-50 years”.
"The geological reserves of the Kakanj coal mines could last for the next 50 years", says coal mine director Iso Delibašić.
Hans von der Brelie
Euronews: “In 2050, will this mine still be working or not?”
Delibašić: “We can say that Bosnia and Herzegovina still lacks a lot of energy. That’s why our future should not be jeopardised. Let’s take into consideration our geological coal reserves.”
Euronews: “Do you feel bad about helping to kill planet earth?”
Delibašić: “We produce coal. This coal is used by someone else. Do I feel bad about doing my job? Of course not!”
Let’s move on. The chimney of the Kakanj coal-fired power plant is as tall as the Eiffel Tower and emits huge amounts of pollutants and CO2. How does Bosnia and Herzegovina plan to become climate-neutral by 2050?
Bosnia and Herzegovina also committed to this goal at the Western Balkans summit in Sofia. The country is a member of the Energy Community, an international organisation in which the European Union and candidate countries develop rules for the energy market.
But Bosnia and Herzegovina is not complying. Some of the power plant units date back to the 1970s. Their remaining operating hours agreed have long since been exceeded.
Why weren’t these units shut down long ago?
Hans von der Brelie
There is a lack of modern filters. Yet, many of these very old reactors are still in operation. Why weren’t these units shut down long ago?
Bosnia and Herzegovina's outdated coal-fired power plants emit over 200,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide per year, eleven times more than permitted, reports Bankwatch, a network of regional non-governmental organisations.
Kakanj thermal power plant.
Hans von der Brelie
The European Commission's 2025 Country Report also strongly criticises Bosnia and Herzegovina's energy policy. And the European Energy Community has initiated infringement proceedings.
Bosnia and Herzegovina's outdated coal-fired power plants emit over 200,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide per year.
Muamer Kolar
In Kakanj, unit 7 is one of the big troublemakers. Power plant director Adem Lujnović blames the local weather conditions for high pollution levels: “When inversion weather conditions occur, we experience high levels of air pollution. It hap

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- I ask the power plant director why the old units weren't shut down long ago. “We had already considered switching to natural gas in 2010”, he says, "but it wasn't cost-effective, coal was cheaper." Outdated energy infrastructure (Kakanj thermal power plant).

### Areas for Consideration
- Hans von der Brelie “Yes, we do have a problem in Kakanj”, Senka Balorda confirms. “I think that as reported for 2025, for the 35.000 citizens of Kakanj, we have 223 different cancer patients.
- I am in favour of the idea that we should keep living and working here.” Euronews: “And what about clean air?” Mirnes Bajtarević: “Clean air is very much my concern.

### Implications
- By&nbsp Hans von der Brelie Published on 03/04/2026 - 15:00 GMT+2 Share Comments Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Copy/paste the article video embed link below: Copied Will Bosnia-Herzegovina's belated start to the energy transition delay its EU accession?
- The future of the coal mine must not be called into question." “Let’s do some maths”, I ask Delibašić, “take the coal you still have in the ground today, how many years could it last?” The coal mine director estimates, that the geological reserves of the Kakanj coal mines could last “for the next 40-50 years”. "The geological reserves of the Kakanj coal mines could last for the next 50 years", says coal mine director Iso Delibašić.
- Hans von der Brelie Euronews: “In 2050, will this mine still be working or not?” Delibašić: “We can say that Bosnia and Herzegovina still lacks a lot of energy.
- That’s why our future should not be jeopardised.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers coal, kakanj, plant topics. Notable strengths include discussion of coal. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 2461.