Minister of Infrastructure and Energy of Albania Enea Karakaçi said the next photovoltaic auction would be held in early 2027 at the latest. He revealed that the competitive bidding process would include battery storage.
Solar power has climbed from almost zero to 11% of Albania’s annual electricity production within three or for years, Minister of Infrastructure and Energy of Albania Enea Karakaçi. He visited the Erseka (Ersekë) area in the country’s southeast and two PV units of 40 MW in combined capacity.
The new electricity law, adopted in late June, facilitated the inclusion of battery energy storage systems (BESS) into renewable energy projects, the minister noted.
ALPEX enabled access to free market for power producers
Producers can trade their electricity in the free market, at the Albanian Energy Exchange (ALPEX), Karakaçi pointed out. They can also choose between several energy products, he added.
According to the minister, the government is preparing, in cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, for another solar power auction. He expects it late this year or in early 2027. Karakaçi stressed that the competitive bidding process would, for the first time, include battery storage. It is a way to bridge the period between peak production around noon and the evening demand peak.
The ministry said a third solar park, of 70 MW, is about to be put into operation in the same area. The project was among the winners of Albania’s last PV auction.
PV plants can add battery storage
The Energy Regulatory Authority (ERE) initiated the procedure in April to alter the licenses for several photovoltaic plants, including the existing two in Erseka, so that they add energy storage facilities.
The government intends to make Albania a net electricity exporter by 2030.
Notably, Fortis Energy is building its own Ersekë hybrid power plant at the village of Taç-Larta in the municipality of Kolonja. Erseka is the seat of the local authority. The Turkish company’s project is for a peak capacity of 75 MW of solar power and a 40 MWh battery energy storage system.
