Prolonged drought plunges hydro-dependent electricity sector into crisis

By Ervin Lisaku TIRANA, Feb. 12 – Albania’s hydro-dependent domestic electricity sector is officially in crisis. An ongoing prolonged drought since mid-2018 has led to domestic electricity generation meeting only 30 percent of the country’s electricity needs and the rest being covered in costly imports, in a situation that is putting state-run electricity operators in financial straits and that could also have implications for planned investment in the outdated distribution grid where about a quarter of electricity is lost. With weather forecasts for the next few months unveiling a grim picture with little rainfall, Albania is expected to continue relying…