UNECE is working on greening the energy sector in accordance with principles of carbon neutrality and just transition. In its efforts it recognizes, however, that the scope and pace of the transformation process has to be aligned with the capabilities and needs of individual member States, taking into account their endowment of natural resources, technological base, cultural heritage, as well as the legal and regulatory structure.
In this context, Albania and Serbia requested UNECE to develop a study analysing the local geological and mining conditions, and on that basis identify principle-based guidelines for designing and implementing a programme for an efficient, safe, and environmentally conscious mine closure in the country.
The report titled Technical, principle-based guidelines for designing and implementing a programme for efficient, safe and environmentally conscious mine closure in Albania and Serbia identifies problems related to mine closure in the two beneficiary States and evaluates their scale. It also provides a theoretical background for actions allowing Albania and Serbia to reclaim the mined land and mitigate hazards so that it becomes suitable for repurposing and sustainable development. It is designed to improve beneficiary countries’ national capacities to close coal mines in a manner that ensures that at the end of the process the site is safe for the environment and the population and that the reclaimed grounds are ready for further use unrelated to coal mining.
Please visit also the webpage dedictaed to the Workshop on Just Transition in Mining Communities and Potential for Development of Geothermal Energy at which the paper was presented and discussed.