WB advises Albania to be careful of climate change

TIRANA, March 11 – The World Bank says that the climate change has already started and it advises Tirana to take early action to manage the risks that the changing climate trends pose to existing energy infrastructure in Albania so that it may reduce vulnerability and increase the resilience of the sector as it moves forward.
In the coming decades, Albania is facing the risks of rising average temperatures, increasing the risk of heat waves, and intense precipitation events, as well as decreased annual average precipitation.
The energy sector in Albania is already confronting several challenges, including frequent power cuts, existing energy assets in need of rehabilitation, new assets being planned, as well as privatization.
To build greater understanding of potential risks and management options, the World Bank, together with Albanian authorities, held a workshop Tuesday on climate risks and vulnerabilities in the country’s energy sector.
It aimed at undertaking a hands-on, participatory vulnerability and adaptation assessment with involvement of government, private sector, scientific community and NGOs. A second workshop will follow in April 2009 to consider adaptation options, their costs, and benefits.
World Bank Country Manager for Albania Camille Nuamah, said, “There are opportunities to build in resilience for climate change when planning and designing new energy infrastructure. I am glad to be able to bring World Bank experience and that of our consultants, Acclimatize and Worley Parsons, to help Albania plan better for the future.”
Albania’s First National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (2002) highlighted some key vulnerabilities of the energy sector, including effects on energy demand for space heating, space cooling, water heating, and refrigeration.
It estimated that rising temperatures could lead to a 12-16% reduction in energy demand for residential heating by 2025, compared to the 1990 baseline while demand for cooling is projected to increase in hotter summers.
But energy demand drivers are not limited to temperature, with precipitation, wind speed, and cloud cover also being important factors.
Since a large portion of Albania’s energy is generated by hydropower, energy supplies remain vulnerable to projected decreases in precipitation.
“By analyzing the areas of the energy sector where Albania might be at risk from climate change, we can identify and more quickly implement solutions, especially “no-regrets” solutions, that mitigate that risk,” said ESMAP Senior Energy Specialist Jane Ebinger. “The knowledge gained from these activities can also be shared globally so that we can all coordinate our efforts to reducing the economic risk of climate change.”
Post-communist Albania has suffered frequent power cuts because of a lack of rain for existing hydroelectric stations that produce the bulk of its electricity consumption, an outdated distribution system, and high consumer bills.
During recent months Albania has signed multi-billion-euro projects mainly with Italian companies to build alternative power plants.