400 KV power line between Kosovo and Albania to begin construction in 2009

The construction of the new 400kv power line between Tirana-Prishtine will begin in 2009 and is planned to be finished within 20 months, says official sources from the Energy Transmission Operator, ETO. The German government will provide a grant to support consulting and supervision of the construction on the Albanian side and has also secured the financing of the project on the Kosovo side through the German bank, KFW.
A joint workgroup of Albanian and Kosovo experts on energy transmission systems should draft, in September, a detailed work plan for the construction of the line. The draft will also include technical issues, such as the necessary documentation for the tendering, its evaluation, and the maintenance operating system of the power line.
The project includes the construction of an interconjection line 238 km long, of which 85 km will be in Kosovo, and the improvement of two power substations, one in Pristina and one in Tirana.