Bosnia has excellent wind power potential

Bosnia has excellent resources for using the wind power and it is one of its chances to attract foreign investments, generate jobs and increase its GDP.


These were some of the messages heard at today's presentation at the German embassy in Sarajevo, during which the ambassador of Germany to Bosnia - Joachim Schmidt - awarded the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina the electronic wind map.


As the ambassador Schmidt said, it is a document based on meteorological data collected during 30 years, which allows assessment of the wind situation for each area of Bosnia.


Ambassador Schmidt has further stated that the total wind energy potential in Bosnia is about 2000 MW, but it is considered that around 900 MW could be utilized.


It was also announced that the study showing how the possibilities of connecting proposed wind mill parks to existing electric grid, roads and other infrastructure will be presented by the end of the year.


"Bosnia has excellent resources. Use the resources that are available" - said Dr. Sander, an international expert in wind energy.

Coal mines generate losses

As I wrote before coal mines and coal plants are a big headache for Bosnian economy. Despite those facts Bosnian political decision makers continue to pump tax payers money into those economically and environmentally devastating fields.

Recently published facts show that eight mines (Kreka, Banovići, Đurđevik, Kakanj, Breza, Zenica, Bila i Gračanica) are 11,1 million KM (ca 5.5 million €) in minus.

At the same time those mines haven't payed health insurance and retirement fees for 12.600 miners to an equivalent of 170 million KM (85 million €). They owe their suppliers 48 million KM (24 million €) while 123 million KM (61,5 million €) of taxes are yet to be paid.

The combined loss of those eight mines reaches 352,1 million KM (176,05 million €) which clearly speaks for closure of those coal mines and investment of all that tax payer's money into something more lucrative, such as alternative energy, road and rail-road infrastructure or educational programs for all those unemployed who can't get any work due to lack of vocational training or poor education.