KESH Executive Head replaced

TIRANA, March. 4 – After a long controversy over the responsibility for the power crisis, state-owned power corporation KESH executive head Andi Beli is replaced with economy Vice Minster Gjergj Bojaxhi. The latter’s main challenge will be the same daunting task of trying to provide 24 hours of electric power to all Albanian consumers. Major structural reforms as well as a new strategic import scheme are expected from Bojaxhi in his new task.
Albania was hit this year by a very severe power crisis that saw urban centers experience up to 8 hours of power cuts and villages experiencing the worst with up to 18 hours of energy lack. There is controversy over the reasons of this crisis between the ruling majority that argues for the dry weather and the problems faced with the network of distribution and the opposition which accuse KESH of mismanagement. The excess reliance on hydropower has indeed been one of the primary factors as Albania is not having almost any rainfall in the cold season. The import situation has worsened with Bulgaria closing down the nuclear plant Kozloduy upon accession in the EU, starting January 1 of this year. Bulgaria which used to be the leading exporter to the region has restructured all its electricity schemes to adapt to the new conditions. In an effort to slow the depletion of its scarce water reserves used for power generation and keep enough water at the lake of Fierze, where its largest electricity producing unit is located, Albania increased the daily power imports to 11.2 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) in late January. Albania is expected to start building a 92 million euro thermal power plant in Vlore, the second of its kind in the country, later this year. KESH hired Italian construction-to-services company Maire Engineering to build the 85-to-135 megawatt (MW) combined-cycle power plant, to be fueled by distillate oil.
Bojaxhi is inheriting a grave situation in which major reforms are expected to make a real change. Media reports however that he power rationing will continue all the summer and at least until the autumn of 2007.