Albanian Minister of Energy Belinda Balluku announced that the country has secured a 9.6 million euro grant from the European Union to support the development of a 50 MW solar power plant in the municipality of Belsh, located in central Albania. This grant will be complemented by a 30 million euro sovereign-guaranteed loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
The solar power plant, once completed, is expected to produce approximately 79 GWh of electricity per year, which would be sufficient to meet the energy needs of around 16,100 consumers. To advance the project, the Albanian Government plans to initiate an international tender for the detailed engineering design. The design phase will have a six-month deadline, and construction is targeted to be completed within the following year.
The total cost of the Belsh solar power plant is estimated at 42 million euros. Preparatory work has been supported by two previous grants totaling 280,000 euros, mobilized by the EBRD with assistance from the Austrian Government. Additionally, the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) provided 1.2 million euros to fund implementation oversight and supervisory engineering. The remainder of the investment will be covered by the Albanian state-owned energy company KESH.
