Kosovo* to launch pilot auction for solar power by year-end

Minister of Economy Artane Rizvanolli said Kosovo* would launch a pilot auction for solar power by the end of 2022.

After the inauguration of the Selac wind park, also known as Bajgora, Kosovo’s* Minister of Economy Artane Rizvanolli said on Twitter that other renewable energy projects are coming.

“Many investors interested and many wind & solar projects coming with licenses issued based on competitive and transparent processees, securing the lowest price for consumers,” she wrote. Rizvanolli added that the first renewable energy auction in Kosovo* would be launched by the end of the year as a pilot for solar power. The European Bank for Reconstruction and development is assisting the government in preparing the procedure and rules.

YES! Many investors interested and many wind & solar projects coming with licenses issued based on competitive and transparent processees, securing the lowest price for consumers.

First solar pilot auction to be launched by the end of the 2022.

☀️☀️☀️⚡⚡⚡ https://t.co/f07rcBaJkl

— Artane Rizvanolli (@Artane_R) March 12, 2022

Green energy projects piling up

As for known projects in the pipeline, government-controlled Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK) is working on a 100 MW solar power project. The facility is intended to be built at what is now an ash dump for the Kosovo A coal-fired thermal power plant.

Kosovo* has only one other wind farm – Kitka, with a capacity of 32.4 MW, which will be expanded by 20 MW. Bondcom Energy Point’s Budakova system is planned to have 46 MW. Another advanced project is for the 100 MW wind farm Çiçavica, developed by Akuo Energy.

Air Energy 2 intends to install two wind power plants of 34.8 MW each. StubllaEnergy is working on a hybrid power plant of 170 MW, of which 132 MW would be in wind turbines.

New wind farm accounts for 10% of installed capacity in Kosovo*

The 105 MW Selac wind farm is located near Mitrovica. It was built by SoWi Kosovo, a German-Israeli joint venture with local partners. The project was given a strategic investment status four years ago.

The wind power plant, backed by the EBRD, is worth more than EUR 170 million, the authorities said. The project is split into equal segments Selaci 1, 2 and 3. The first part was connected to the grid in late summer. Selac now accounts for 10% of the installed electricity generation capacity in Kosovo*, which is heavily dependent on coal and suffering amid the energy crisis.

“The green agenda is one of our government’s priorities, not only because it includes an important aspect of our EU integration process, but especially because we need to phase out coal, while maintaining our energy independence,” Prime Minister Albin Kurti said at the inauguration ceremony.