Starting Monday, the working hours of Albania’s public administration were reduced to five hours “due to the grave energy situation in the country,” according to a government statement.
Last week, the whole country was left for hours without electricity due to a default in a power line bringing energy from neighboring Macedonia.
Increased energy use, with air conditioners running during the recent heat wave, has also contributed to the shortage.
As in neighboring southern European countries, temperatures in Albania have been sweltering. Authorities were also struggling to battle wildfires that have cropped up around the parched country, but a lack of equipment has made fighting fires in mountain areas difficult.
The government is expecting assistance with firefighting helicopters and planes from other European countries. Meanwhile, Albania has had to ration water, with taps running only 1-2 hours a day.
Importing electricity has also been problematic, as has domestic production at hydroelectric power stations, with no rainfall for the past 40 days.
Albania imports 5 million to 6 million kilowatt hours per day, and produces another 5-6 million, an insufficient level that has resulted in power outages of up to 15 hours daily.
Post-communist Albania has suffered regular electricity problems attributed to poor management, an outdated distribution system and lack of money.
