Welcome to Outside the Box: Innovative Ideas from CEPS Ideas Lab, the podcast series that brings you the most forward-thinking ideas from CEPS' annual Ideas Lab event.
Every year, CEPS’ Ideas Lab brings together a diverse group of policymakers, experts, and thought leaders to explore innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. From digital sovereignty and AI to climate change, energy transition, and sustainable trade, each episode dives into the ideas that are being debated, discussed, and developed at ideas Lab to address the complex issues facing our global society.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to Outside the Box: Innovative Ideas from CEPS Ideas Lab, the podcast series that brings you the most forward-thinking ideas from CEPS' annual Ideas Lab event.
Every year, CEPS’ Ideas Lab brings together a diverse group of policymakers, experts, and thought leaders to explore innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. From digital sovereignty and AI to climate change, energy transition, and sustainable trade, each episode dives into the ideas that are being debated, discussed, and developed at ideas Lab to address the complex issues facing our global society.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Western Balkans power sector is close to collapse. Approximately two-thirds of the Western Balkans’ electricity is generated by lignite, most often by power plants that have operated for over 40 years. The carbon intensity of the region’s electricity sector is three times higher than that of the EU. Almost no power plant can run at its designated capacity any longer.
Lignite-based district heating is no different, with several cities experiencing failures this winter. Retrofitting is economically unviable. This is because even if the large majority of plants were upgraded, they still wouldn’t be able to meet sulphur dioxide emissions ceilings under the EU’s Large Combustion Plant Directive, which came into effect in 2018 as a specific obligation of the European Energy Community Treaty, which aims to extend the EU’s internal energy market beyond EU borders – including into the six Western Balkans countries.
The population of the Western Balkans region is exposed to some of the highest concentrations of air pollution in Europe, notably particulate matter (PM2.5), which is principally caused by lignite powerplants, according to a study commissioned by UN Environment. Consequently, the environment is deteriorating rapidly; forests are depleted, landslides are becoming more frequent and soil pollution is increasing.
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.