Statement of the Day, Balluku: Nine big companies in game for wind auction in Albania

Albania’s first wind power tender is entering its second phase, Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku said. Qualified participants will be able to send bids by next May.

“My team from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, with the presence of the EBRD team, opened the first phase of expression of interest regarding this auction for the construction of wind parks of an overall 100 MW in the Republic of Albania. So far there are nine participants, who are from the largest European companies. From Austrian Verbund to French Total, they have expressed interest in participating in the second phase,” Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Belinda Balluku said at the National Anti-Corruption Conference in Tirana.

According to the timetable, the ministry will officially announce prequalified bidders in August. Companies have until next May to place bids. Voltalia from France came out on top in the previous two auctions, for utility-scale solar power projects Karavasta and Spitalla. Of note, Total changed its name a year ago to TotalEnergies.

Balluku earlier revealed the government approved two solar power projects without subsidies in the region of Korça of 20 MW each. The developers are domestic firms, she said, without identifying them. They will give 2% of output as a fee.

Albania recently said that operators of power plants using renewable sources would have to cover balancing costs just like their conventional counterparts. So far it was the responsibility of state-owned power utility KESH and other government institutions.

In other news, Nova Solar System has just requested the ministry’s consent for the construction of a 50 MW photovoltaic plant in Sheq Marinas in Fier. Also, a firm called Infra Solar applied with its 22 MW solar power project. The site is in Povelça in Darëzeza in the same municipality. The ministry said it received two more requests for PV projects of 2 MW each, also in Fier.