Deadlines set for hydropower plant contracts

TIRANA, June 18 – Delays in construction of small hydropower plants have forced government to set deadlines of up to two years for their completion.
The construction of hydropower plants with a capacity of up 5 MW under concession contracts will be given deadlines of up to 12 months. The deadline for hydropower plants with a capacity from 5 MW to 20 MW will be 18 months while those with a capacity of more than 20 MW will have two years at their disposal for the completion of works.
All companies currently involved in concession projects can apply to postpone the deadlines under the new decision.
The Albanian government has signed 98 concession contracts to build 264 hydropower plants with a total installed power of 1055 MW during the 2007-2010 period, according to the economy ministry.
Construction works have also started for 30 hydropower plants, ten of which are expected to finish by this year.
The economy ministry says domestic and foreign investors are becoming more and more interested to build hydropower plants under concession contracts because of the clear and transparent procedures the law envisages for their implementation.