Kosovo* selects public land for first solar power auction

The government in Prishtina has changed the status of a location in Orahovac so that it can offer it to investors in the upcoming solar power auction.

The Municipality of Rahovec or Orahovac, which is working on the local urban mobility plan and energy and climate action plan, may also become a renewables hub. The Government of Kosovo* has changed the right of use and purpose at the locations of Kramovik and Petković (Guri i Kuq) and explained the decision was made to increase green energy capacities.

The measure is in public interest and has a duration of 30 years, according to the cabinet. Minister of Economy Artane Rizvanolli explained that the public land, consisting of nine lots, would be used for Kosovo’s first solar power auction.

The selected sites are suitable for much more than the expected 100 MW quota for the solar power auction

According to a presentation from a recent meeting on the local 10-year development plan, the two sites can fit a much greater capacity than the 100 MW quota that the government determined for the auction.

Senior Officer for Renewable Energy Sources at the Ministry of Economy Besiana Qorraj Berisha noted that the land was selected in cooperation with the Tetra Tech consultancy, within a project with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The cabinet also approved the expropriation of land for KEK’s 100 MW solar power project

The cabinet also approved the expropriation of land in the municipalities of Obiliq/Obilić and Kosovo Polje, also known as Fushë Kosovë, for a solar power plant. Government-controlled coal and power utility Kosovo Energy Corp. (KEK) has a 100 MW project under development, backed by the European Union and Germany. Its second major decarbonization endeavor is a solar thermal facility which is planned to be built in the same area for district heating in the capital Prishtina.

Last year the municipal parliament in Rahovec supported a 70 MW wind park project under development by Eurokos. The investment was valued at EUR 90 million.

Of note, nearby Đakovica (Gjakova) has set an example for municipal authorities in the Balkans in switching to sustainable district energy technology.