Albania has 570 MW of solar projects in pipeline

Private and state-owned companies are advancing in the licensing procedure for the installation of six large and ten small solar power plants. Most are planned to be built in Fier county. Projects with a combined 570 megawatts (MW) have achieved progress in the past two years, compared to the existing 23 MW in the entire country.

The photovoltaic projects are in the various stages of the licensing procedure conducted by the Energy Regulatory Authority (ERE), the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, and the National Environmental Agency (AKM).

ERE said it has started the procedure for granting licenses to developers SVP Blue 1 and SVP Blue 2 for their two planned solar power plants, each with 50 MW. The same process was initiated for state-owned power utility KESH’s 5.1 MW facility at the dam of its Vau i Dejës hydropower plant, but it is said to have already completed it. The company is also preparing to install a 12.9 MW floating photovoltaic unit at the same reservoir.

The procedures are handled by regulatory body ERE, environment agency AKM, and the relevant ministry

The same procedure has been launched for a 140 MW photovoltaic project under development by Karavasta Solar.

Another project in Fier county is for Info-Telecom’s 50 MW solar park. The company has just applied to the National Environmental Agency to obtain environmental permits, which would allow it to continue its development.

The proceedings in ERE and in AKM are for more advanced endeavors than the ones handled by the ministry.

The latest big project, of 150 MW, was launched by Aga-Solar – it is the largest one in the pipeline so far

Last month, the ministry said that it received an application for a 150 MW power plant from Aga-Solar. The company intends to build the facility in Fier county. Additional nine applications for the construction of PV facilities, each under 2 MW, have recently been submitted to the ministry.

There is one other utility-scale project in Albania for the 100 MW Spitalle solar park. French company Voltalia won it in an auction after coming in on top in the bidding for Karavasta as well.

In August, Prime Minister Edi Rama claimed that Albania would become a regional champion in renewable energy production by 2030.