Nongovernmental organisations officially object to project contract “New Kosovo”

Several nongovernmental organisations from Kosovo he and international ones have started a formal complaint Monday in mechanising the conflicts of the energy community, challenging the legitimacy of the electricity purchase agreement under the “New Kosovo project, which is currently awaiting ratification in the Kosovo Parliament.

In complaints initiated by the Foundation, Balkan Green, the GAP Institute, the Group for Political and Jurydical Studies, INDEP and CE Bankwatch Network are alleged that the 20-year electricity purchase agreement, signed by the Government of Kosovo with the company, Contour Global, in December 2017, is not in line with the rules of the Energy Community Treaty.

In the complaint, it has also been said that Contour Global benefits most against other energy producers.

In a communiqué released by these organisations, it is estimated that the current contract would create difficulties for the state budget and electricity consumers in Kosovo, as it guarantees that the state company will buy all the energy produced by the Contour Global with a “charge targeted” of 80 euros for megawatts, which represents a much higher price for energy compared to the region.

The price of 80 euros for megawatts would not be good, but adding extra tariffs, no one knows what the price of consumers and taxpayers should be. Many people in Kosovo cannot afford to pay electricity bills now either, so there is no possibility of accepting these” increases, said Visar Azemi from the Balkan Green Foundation.

Part of this response is the GAP Institute, whose leader, Agron Demi, has said the priority should currently be the failure to lose electricity in the distribution system, as a result of technical problems, rather than investment “money we don't have in another central”.