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Albania will limit final approvals of renewable energy projects to one year
12 January, 2024

Final approvals for renewable electricity projects in Albania will expire after 12 months to discourage investors from buying and selling them, according to the Ministry of Energy Infrastructure. It is preparing to launch the public call for a 300MW solar power auction next week, while an energy storage auction may also be in the works, according to the annual presentation. State-owned energy company KESH unveiled a pumped storage hydropower project along with 76 MW of solar power capacity. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku called on private investors to take their energy projects very seriously. All approvals, both final and preliminary, will have expiration dates, she warned at an annual conference.

Investors in energy are welcome and necessary, she emphasized and asserted that the process is very simple in terms of requirements such as location and technical study. Albania does not want permits and documentation to be bought and sold, Balluku asserted. "The final approval will last only 12 months before the start of construction, so as not to keep it in your pocket for three years and sell it to each other," explained the deputy prime minister.

Approvals issued for 896 MW in solar power capacity, 86 MW for wind power

There are 64 solar energy projects with final approvals outside the subsidy mechanisms, with a total capacity of 603 MW, Balluku revealed. That compares with just 13 final approvals for 37 MW in wind power. Preliminary consent, which in 99% of cases leads to final approval, has been granted for 16 photovoltaic projects with a total capacity of 293 MW and nine in the wind segment, for 49 MW, Balluku said. In total, the planned capacities are 896 MW and 86 MW, respectively. This compares with 49 solar applications totaling 1.9 GW and 26 of 2.05 GW for wind, which are in the pipeline. There are still no wind turbines in operation in Albania.

The ministry scheduled the launch of the public call for a 300 MW solar power auction for January 15. The pre-qualification deadline is set for April 29, after which technical bids will be evaluated until May 24. Participants will have until July 7 to submit their bids, which must be opened three days later. In addition, a reference to a plan for an energy storage auction appeared among slides in the ministry's presentation, but officials did not address the topic.

Photovoltaics other than agrosolar are only allowed on lower grade land

Turning to the concept of agrivoltaic, also known as agrosolar, Balluku said that investors can combine agricultural production with solar power plants on land in categories 7 and 8. Other solar power plants are only allowed on land with lower grades – 9 and 10, she added. "Albania is a small country, where land is really one of the most precious assets we have," she said, but also added that a balance must be found with energy needs.

KESH will turn the Fierza hydropower plant into a storage system with pumps

The state energy unit KESH is planning to install a pumped storage system for the future surplus in solar and wind energy production, announced its administrator Ergys Verdho. At the end of 2025, the company will have 76 MW of photovoltaics in operation, he estimated. It therefore aims to create a system that would pump water from the Koman hydropower plant upstream to the Fierza hydropower plant, explained Verdho, quoted by SCAN TV. He highlighted the fact that the Koman reservoir is small, arguing that the upgrade would increase efficiency at times of the strongest flows.

Statkraft is also developing a pumped storage hydropower project in Albania. It is worth noting that the operator of the transmission system OST broke ground at the end of December in the first electricity interconnection project with North Macedonia.


https://kosovo.energy/shqiperia-do-te-kufizoje-miratimet-perfundimtare-te-projekteve-per-energjite-e-riperteritshme-ne-nje-vit/