KESH to buy Power from five electricity suppliers for 2007

TIRANA, Nov.29 – Albania’s power utility KESH has decided to buy electricity for the next year from five qualified bidders. The companies are: Swiss-based EFT, EGL and Atel, and the Albanian- based GSA and Wonder Power, according to the statement released by KESH on Wednesday. The other two applying companies, the Czech Ezpada and German Elektra, were not qualified, KESH added. KESH had previously failed to get a single winner in an international tender for 2,206 million MWh of electricity imports for 2007. The tender was crucial for Albania, where outdated power plants are unable to produce enough electricity. To offset shortages, the country usually calls import tenders to cover its consumption needs. KESH has committed 162.8 million euros ($214.89 million) of its own funds for electricity imports. The tender was opened in October, but was postponed until early November because KESH said it did not get enough bids. The tender was for the acquisition of a four-installment import split into 568,000 MWh of electricity in the first quarter of next year; 410,600 MWh in the second quarter; 530,000 MWh in the third and the remainder in the last quarter. The lack of electricity and the failed tenders last year caused one the worst electricity crises in the impoverished country, with power cuts of up to 18 hours a day in cities and even longer in remote areas. Domestic media have reported that the country is at the beginning of a new energy crisis and that power shortages have already started in rural areas.