Energy crisis forces power cuts in Albania

19/01/2007

The public is frustrated and businesses are losing money due to the problems Albania has had in keeping up with electricity demands.

By Erlis Selimaj for Southeast European Times in Tirana – 19/01/07

[Gent Shkullaku]

Since 1990 Albania has suffered regular electricity shortages. Dried-up hydropower plants, lack of domestic production, and difficulties with energy imports have again put residents in the dark this winter.

The Albanian power corporation KESH has said it is urgently looking to increase electricity to avoid complete shutdowns of its main hydropower station due to lack of rain. According to KESH head Andi Beli, scarce rainfall has dried up lakes at the hydropower plants in the north.

KESH has imposed up to 12-hour daily power cuts throughout the country. Hospitals, government institutions, bakeries, and police stations were all given priority, though these institutions are also affected.

"The only way out was to increase imports," Beli said, adding that KESH is ready to buy 9 million kwh from neighbouring Greece. Economy Minister Genc Ruli visited Athens on January 11th and received a confirmation that Greece is ready to increase its energy exports to Albania.

The opposition Socialists, meanwhile, are calling for Beli's resignation. So is the civic movement Mjaft! (Enough!), which has been campaigning for action on the electricity issue.

Businesses are hard hit. The president of the Union of Chambers of Commerce, Lugan Bregasi, says the business community is undergoing average daily losses of 500,000 euros due to power cuts.

Businesses, especially small businesses, should receive tax cuts, Bregasi says, arguing that they should not pay the same taxes during power outages as during normal work conditions.

Prime Minister Sali Berisha has pledged that every effort will be made to double power supplies, tasking the Economy Ministry with the job.