All applicants qualify for first wind power auction in Kosovo*

Three potential bidders met the legal, technical and financial criteria for the upcoming wind energy auction in Kosovo*, for a quota of 100 MW.

Ahead of its request for proposals in the competitive bidding process for wind power projects, the Ministry of Economy of Kosovo* confirmed that all applicants passed the qualifications stage. The quota is 50 MW to 100 MW and the plan is to support 150 MW in total in two rounds. Participants will bid for 15-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) and contracts for difference (CfDs).

The next phase will “start soon,” Minister of Economy Artane Rizvanolli said. It was due in March. International Finance Corp. – IFC, which is part of World Bank Group, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have provided support for organizing the first wind power auction in Kosovo*.

According to the schedule, the call for the remaining capacity will be issued the second half of the year.

Six-month deadline for financial proposals

One applicant is a consortium of Notus Energy, based in Germany, and Stublla Energy from Kosovo*.

The ministry also received documentation from Akuo Energy from France and a consortium led by Güri̇ş, headquartered in Turkey. Both participated in the first solar power auction as well, held last year. The companies submitted documentation on February 20.

All met the legal, technical and financial criteria for the upcoming bidding, the ministry said. It revealed that the request for proposals would last half a year and vowed to conduct it in line with the highest transparency standards.

Potential investors can attend a planned presentation and submit questions regarding necessary documentation

In the meantime, the ministry and IFC are planning to hold a presentation for the qualified investors. After that, they can send questions.

The auction commission is responsible for assessing the fulfillment of the legal, technical, environmental and social criteria, before opening the financial proposals. The winner, among the companies and consortia that qualified, is the one offering the lowest price per megawatt-hour. The upper limit is EUR 80.2 per MWh.

Wind projects would be run by special purpose vehicles (SPVs), firms where the government would have a share of up to 49%. The Ministry of Economy intends to use the funds from the International Monetary Fund’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) in the development of the 150 MW.

Power consumption far exceeded domestic supply last week

Among other developments in Kosovo*, which has the world’s highest share of coal in electricity production, consumers have received another warning.

Distribution system operator KESCO said last week, ahead of the Easter holiday, that domestic production capacity amounted to 315 MW from coal and 130 MW from renewable sources. Consumption was 43% higher than in the equivalent period of last year, surpassing 700 MW. Devices with high consumption should be used only when necessary, especially during peak hours, the company pointed out.