Albania, Kosova discuss energy projects

TIRANA, May 18 – Albania and Kosova met last week to discuss their joint efforts to integrate their energy networks to ensure abundant supplies of energy are available at low prices.
Kosovar ministers visited Tirana for the meetings and met with top officials, including Economy and Trade Minister, Genc Ruli.
The minister repeated, during a meeting with four Kosova ministers, that Albania was preparing to build a new interconnection line with Kosova and that the production of energy from Albania’s hydropower stations would be well-balanced with production from Kosova’s power stations.
They stressed that cooperation in the field of energy will be an important joint program in the future.
That goal could be seen as a healthy move at a time when the two countries remain far from such cooperation and their financial resources are still very limited.
For now, the two countries remain net importers of electricity. Albania has had continuous problems in the last three years with daily electricity outages during the winter months. At the same time, Kosova needs some 1.5 billion Euros in urgent investments only to keep their infrastructure operating.
The proposed Elbasan-Tirana-Vau i Dejes inter-connection line, which will supply energy in both directions, will have branches extending to Podgorica and Prishtina and will play an important role in reducing the country’s costs to buy energy. (Tirana Times Staff)