TIRANA, Jan. 7 – A statement by Economy Minister Arben Ahmetaj that a Turkish joint venture will build a huge hydropower plant in northern Albania, sparked political debate with the opposition Democrats accusing the government of lack of transparency and the government claiming that everything is being carried out legal procedures.
Speaking at a press conference, a Democratic Party secretary accused Prime Minister Edi Rama of having secretly awarded a licence on the construction of the Skavica HPP, a project dating back to the early 1980s, to a Turkish joint venture Suzer & Nurol Group.
In late 2014, representatives of Suzer Group and Nurol Holding visited Albania expressing interest to invest in the Skavica HPP project which has remained in letter since the early 1980s when Albania was under communism.
Grida Duma, a public relations secretary at the opposition Democratic Party said the fact had been admitted by Economy Minister Arben Ahmetaj in a TV interview in late December.
Asked if foreign investors were leaving Albania, Ahmetaj said “Could you tell me the name of the company that has left. I can tell you the name of one that has arrived. It’s the Suzer & Nurol Group for the Skavica [HPP],” said Ahmetaj.
“The Skavica HPP has ended as we had warned without a race and with no transparency,” said Duma.
Reacting to the statements, the energy ministry said the Turkish consortium had been awarded a bonus of 8 points and the concession will awarded based on tender procedures and contract negotiation.
On its website, the Suzer Group announces that it has formed a joint venture deal with the Nurol Group for the construction of a hydropower plant in the Drini River in Albania’s northeastern Dibra region.
“The first foot of the project is the HEPP Hydroelectric Power Plant of 57 MW in Katundi Region with a value of approximately 110 million Euro. It is contemplated that the project is started at the end of 2015 and completed in 30 months,” says the company.
Skavica hydropower plant is an old project, first conceived in 1980s during communist rule aimed at using the remaining space of Drini River. It has been considered a very strategic project for Albania because the plant could produce up to 1.2 billion kilowatt/hours (a 25 per cent increase from the current level of production) per year, while also increasing the amount of electricity produced at the three other hydro power plants that were built in the past on the Drin River.
Preliminary evaluations indicate that such a project could cost up to 600 million euro, while the major problem remains the remoteness of the area.
Situated in a mountain valley in northeast Albania, Skavica is 50 kilometres from any paved road.
In 2008, the government opened an international bid. Six major foreign companies expressed preliminary interest in the project, but none of them filed an offer. The bid was considered officially failed in January 2010.
