Albania starts electricity exports after heavy rainfall

TIRANA, March 26 – Heavy rainfall during the past few weeks has considerably improved water levels in the northern Drin cascade with domestic hydro-electricity generation meeting all of the country’s needs and state-run power corporation KESH returning to exports. Water levels in the Fierza, Koman and Vau i Dejes hydropower plants are almost at their maximum levels with hydro-electricity generation at 26 million kWh/ day of which 9 mln kWh being exported.
Water levels in the biggest Fierza HPP are currently at 294 metres only 4 metres below the level that would force the opening of the gates to discharge water, risking massive flooding in northern Albania. The opening of gates from the Vau i Dejes hydropower plant has already caused massive flooding in the Shkodra areas.
Since September 2012, when CEZ declared its financial inability to carry out its compulsory power imports, state-run power corporation KESH was forced to carry out all imports, a situation which further deteriorated the utility’s finances and obliged government to award several loan guarantees to secure power supply.
Finance Minister Bode had earlier warned government was concerned because of CEZ’s performance negatively affecting public finances and the budget. Government awarded KESH 2 billion lek (Euro 14 million) from its contingency funds in early 2012 to make electricity imports, Euro 40 million few months later and is also negotiating with the World Bank over a new USD 100 million loan to cash-strapped power corporation to secure electricity imports.