Power generation company ContourGlobal has announced plans to abandon construction of its 500MW coal-fired power plant in Kosovo, in order to facilitate a smoother and faster transition to renewables.

The announcement comes after Carbon Tracker published a report showing that building solar and wind farms in Europe is now cheaper than constructing new coal plants or operating existing ones.

Energy Policy Coordinator for Southeast Europe at Climate Action Network Europe, Viktor Berishaj said: “This is great news for clean air and a sustainable future for Kosovo. We know that wind and solar are edging out coal across Europe and much of the world. Planned coal plants either get cancelled or they get stranded.

“Where previous governments wasted time and effort in futile attempts to keep coal alive at the expense of the taxpayers, their health and the climate, there now can and must emerge an inclusive and strategic process of building a Paris Agreement-compatible, climate-neutral, economically viable and renewable future beyond coal.”