In terms of hydrology, 2020 was one of the most problematic years said The Albanian Energy Regulatory Agency (ERE). This significantly limited the production of electricity, which is almost 100 % hydro-based. The production amounted to 5,313 GWh in 2020, which is well below the average for the past ten years.
The average electricity generation in the period between 2009 and 2019 amounts to 5,882 GWh, which means that 2020 production was 10 % below the average. The poor hydrological year resulted in significant imports of electricity in order to cover domestic demand. Net imports amounted to 2,275 GWh in 2020 or 31 % of total electricity consumption.
The report points out that the share of private electricity producers is increasing from year to year. The positive contribution of private HPPs is expected to continue to increase as part of the ongoing market liberalization process. Currently, the market is liberalized for consumers connected to 35 kV distribution network.
In 2020, a total of 20 power plants entered production, with an installed capacity of 227.8 MW, which produced 182,816 MWh, or about 3.44 % of total domestic electricity production. This is above the projected growth in electricity consumption.
The installed capacity of power plants connected to the transmission network in 2020 amounted to about 2,200 MW and their net production reached 4,712,074 MWh. The installed capacity of power plants connected to the distribution network in 2020 amounted to about 306 MW, and their net production reached 601,090 MWh.
