TIRANA, Feb. 10 – Albania’s state run power corporation has suspended exports to sell electricity to OSHEE distribution operator which was importing electricity at high rates to cover its losses. The huge electricity production in the country’s northern hydro-dependent power plants favoured by heavy rains forced KESH power corporation to make emergency electricity sales at considerably low prices, at a time when the other state-run distribution operator was importing electricity at almost double prices under a previous regulation which forced the distribution operator previously run by Czech giant CEZ to import electricity for its distribution losses.
The energy regulator ERE has also confirmed the deal which allows KESH to provide extra electricity in case of huge water flows in the country’s hydropower plants and emergency situations as benefiting both operators and the state budget.
The opposition Democratic Party has accused the OSHEE distribution operator of buying electricity at Euro 57 MW at a time when KESH was exporting at almost half that price. Opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha has called on the prosecutor’s office to launch a probe into the abuse which he says cost Albanian taxpayers 4 million euros in only two weeks.
