By Alice Taylor | Exit.al Est. 2min 12-07-2022 The company launched four floating units on the Banja reservoir in southeastern Albania, just next to the company’s hydropower plant of 72 megawatts (MW). The combined capacity of the units is 2MW with some 6,400 panels. [Shutterstock/petrmalinak] EURACTIV is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: DeutschPrint Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Statkraft has launched the final stage of its floating solar plant in Albania, following initial teething problems such as one ring of panels sinking just days after launch. The company launched four floating units on the Banja reservoir in southeastern Albania, just next to the company’s hydropower plant of 72 megawatts (MW). The combined capacity of the units is 2MW with some 6,400 panels. The first run of panels was launched last year but promptly sunk. It was, however, refloated, and the other three planned rings were launched. The project cost a total of €2 million, not including any additional funds caused by the initial misadventure. But as of this week, the project is complete, up and running and generating electricity. Earlier in July, another company, Voltalia, announced they were starting work on the Karavasta solar park, which will be the largest in the Balkans. Spanning 196 hectares, it will have a capacity of 140 MW comprising 240,000 panels. Voltalia won a 30-year concession for the site, with 50% of the electricity being sold through a 15-year contract to the Albanian public operator, with the rest being sold to private operators. The project is expected to be completed in the second half of 2023. A second project from the company is in the works in Spitalla, which will have a capacity of 100 MW. Albania currently leads the way in the region in terms of producing renewable energy, but a lack of storage capacities means it must import fossil energy to meet seasonal demand. Though the country does not currently produce or use any gas, this is set to change as the government has rolled out a raft of new private and public projects in recent months. Prime Minister Edi Rama also recently said that energy giant Shell could be set to announce a significant discovery related to oil and gas in Albania, that could change the country and Europe’s energy perspective. Read more with EURACTIV Gazprom cuts Italy’s daily gas supplies by a third as works begin
