Households, businesses cut power consumption

TIRANA, Sept. 4 – Facing crisis impacts, individuals and businesses cut power consumption by more than a quarter during the first half of this year as a measure to compensate lower revenues. Data published by the Energy Regulatory Entity show energy consumption dropped by 26.9 percent compared to the first half of 2011. While energy consumption for the household sector fell by 17.1 percent, the shrink for the business was sharper. At 37.9 percent, the shrink in energy consumption for businesses is the largest since 2009. Experts say the situation is related to the poor performance of the economy especially industry and construction which in the first quarter of 2012 shrank by double digits.
However, what’s more concerning is that losses in the grid considerably rose by 50.3 percent.
Droughts and heavy snowfall paralyzing the country influenced on energy production falling by 16.4 percent compared to the first half of 2011.
Production in hydropower plants dropped by 19.5 percent due to low levels of water flows in the biggest northern Drin cascade. Imports accounted for around 45 percent of energy available for use in the first half of 2012, compared to only 36.7 percent in the first half of 2011.
Private hydropower plants as well as small and medium-sized ones operating under concession contracts increased their energy production by 62.4 percent in the first six months of this year.