Power is a continuous issue in the political debate

TIRANA, Feb. 26 – Power, its problems, the ongoing crisis and the lack of any clear prospect for its solution continue to be main topics of debate among Albanian politicians.
The recent price hike is expected to become a larger burden on consumers and has turned into a hot political issue.
The opposition is claiming the Albanian Electro-Energy Corporation, or KESH, should be taken to court for bills sent to consumers which had not calculated their power consumption, saying such calculations were made illegally again this year.
However, KESH officials have contradicted such accusations and have been supported by the Energy Regulatory Entity.
The topic also was debated at the parliament with the opposition claiming the price hike is not 18 percent as claimed by KESH but closer to 70 percent.
The government minister in charge has rejected this claim and has referred to a number of projects put in place to ease the burden on the public.
But in practice, people continue to suffer power cuts and consumers’ bills have increased during the last month more than expected though March is the date when the new price rates are to be applied.
Co-Plan, a non-governmental organization, held a meeting where it showed how consumers should save power and also money.
They urged consumers to start using some economic lamps, which save a lot of energy and money. But these lamps are a large burden to purchase as they normally cost up to ten times higher than existing ones.