Radovan Viskovic, Prime Minister of Bosnia’s Republika Srpska (RS) entity, expressed concern over the situation at the Ugljevik Coal Mine and Thermal Power Plant, highlighting that the management has brought the plant into a critical state due to a lack of coal.

Viskovic announced that the RS government has decided to shoulder the financial burden of the arbitration dispute initiated by Slovenian partners against the Ugljevik plant.

“The government has agreed to pay €10 million annually for the next seven years, along with one-third of the plant’s generated electricity, as per the arbitration decision from Belgrade. This move aims to ease the strain on Ugljevik and the RS Elektroprivreda,” he told RTRS.
Electricity price hike expected in 2025

Discussing electricity pricing, Viskovic confirmed that the RS Energy Regulatory Commission will implement price increases in 2025.
“The government, acting as the shareholders’ assembly of Elektroprivreda RS, has provided guidelines to ensure that electricity prices for businesses and households do not exceed those in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Viskovic stated.

He explained that for households consuming between 200 and 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month—representing 90% of RS citizens—electricity bills will increase by 2.5 BAM to 10 BAM. On average, household electricity prices will rise by 7.6%, while prices for businesses will see a higher increase of about 10.5%.

Stabilizing the energy system

The RS government aims to stabilize its energy system amidst challenges at Ugljevik, a key energy resource for the region. Višković emphasized that assuming the arbitration dispute's obligations will alleviate operational pressures on Ugljevik and improve management of energy capacities in the future.