Thermal Plant Threatening Tourism

The 3.2 million inhabitants of Albania have gotten used to daily power cuts. At the moment, the country can only meet half its electricity needs. Roughly 90 percent of these are covered by hydropower, and this generation is dependent on weather conditions. Power consumption has increased dramatically over the past two decades. Formerly a state socialist country, Albania has established a democratic system and is moving to liberalize the economy. In order to increase domestic power production, the Albanian Power Corporation (KESH) – in cooperation with the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) – plans to construct an oil-fuelled thermal power plant in Vlora, about 100km south of Tirana...