The Hoti government does not give up construction of the thermocentral plant “New Kosovo”

In March of this year, the American company Contour Global, which was selected by the government for the construction of this 500 megawatt capacity plant, had announced that it would withdraw from plans to build the thermal power plant, as the company does not intend to build coal projects in the future.

However, the Haxha Bridge, spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy and Environment, told Radio Free Europe, that they are looking at modalisations around the new Kosovo thermal power plant project.

Kosovo's “government has made no decision and is not even on the road to make any decision to give up the building of expansion capacities with the new “Kosovo”. If it is on the 2020 government programme, 2023, the government will review the new Kosovo thermal power plant project. These are the modalities being discussed in each instance, and we will be transparent to the public and inform you of”, says Haxha.

The contract between the Government of Kosovo and Contour Global was signed in 2017, while preparations for the project had begun since 2001.

New Kosovo thermal power plant was meant to start building this year, while operating in 2023 and building it would cost 1.3 billion euros.

But construction of the New Kosovo thermal power plant has been rejected by representatives of civil society, who have consistently considered it an environmentally harmful project.

The coal is considered to create high air pollution.

Dardan Abazi, senior researcher at the Institute for Development Policy (INDP), tells Radio Free Europe that the Government of Kosovo should follow other energy capacity routes, and give up its coal power capacities.

“We have requested a clarification of the Kosovo Government's position regarding the new Kosovo thermal power plant and according to some reports we have on the inside, the government is still trying to establish communication with this company (Contower Global) and see what modalisations are in order to continue with this project. For us this project is dead”, Abazi says.

According to him, the way the Government of Kosovo should be pursued is to review opportunities through an overall modeling of Kosovo's energy system to see if there are specific potential for further energy investments.

“We need new energy capacities, but we consider that these capacities should come from renewable energy sources, whether through increased investments in the field of stimulating measures from renewable energy or through the empowering of the very production mechanisms of consumers through solar panels and other devices that affect consumer reduction and increased energy production”, says Abazi.

On the other hand, a Greek gas pipeline project Macedonia considers Kosovo a good opportunity for new energy capacities.

The Minister of Infrastructure in the Government of Kosovo, Arban Abrashi, in an interview for Radio Free Europe, had said that a project that was discussed at meetings they had in Washington on September 3rd and 4th, when the agreement for normalisation of economic relations Kosovo has been reached Serbia, has also been the gas pipeline line.

A project that is not being mentioned and has great weight in doing business in Kosovo, and generally in the country's development, is the gas pipeline line. We have discussed it before, but it is a project that has been part of US discussions and investments in Kosovo. The basic idea is to build gas pipeline from Greece to Kosovo, while our connection is made in Skopje”, Abrashi has said.

Dardan Abazi, senior researcher in INDEP, says this same gas pipeline project should be considered by the Government of Kosovo in order to get power from coal.

Kosovo must be freed from polluting energy sources and transition to renewable energy and other alternatives. Then, too, see opportunities even considering these latest investments warned in Washington's pledges. To see what options are offered”, Abazi says.

Kosovo has consistently considered building energy capacities through coal, as it has more than 10 billion tons of coal coal, and as such is the fifth country in the world in terms of that resources.

Kosovo, meanwhile, continues to face lack of electricity.

The problem with stable electricity supply in Kosovo has also been highlighted in the US State Department for Investment Climate report published on 9 September.

According to this report, Kosovo has the potential to attract foreign direct investment, but one of the problems preventing the arrival of foreign investors in Kosovo is also the unreliable supply of energy.