Amid the ongoing energy crisis, the Albanian Government announced that it is working on Albania’s first offshore wind project.
Minister of Energy Belinda Balluku said that works on the project are already underway, in form of feasibility studies, and the project is supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
In mid-2021, Albania announced the launch of a tendering procedure for a total of 100 MW of onshore windf arms with the potential to increase the capacity to 150MW. Each bidder can apply for a project between 10MW and 75MW and those that are successful will get 15-years power purchase agreements at a fixed price. Contracts are due to be approved by the end of June 2023.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) said in its 2021 report that Albania has potential to deploy up to 616 MW of solar and wind power by 2030 and has an offshore wind potential of 7 GW, three times the amount of energy the country generates currently.
Albania currently gets most of its electricity from hydropower plants.
