Albania is making rapid progress with its plans to meet renewable energy targets, with the construction of a 12.9 MW floating solar photovoltaic (PV) farm thanks to a €9.1 million loan provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The farm will be the first floating solar plant of this size in Albania and the Western Balkans.

The plant will be built on the Vau i Dejës hydropower plant reservoir, which is managed by Korporata Elektroenergjitike Shqiptare (KESH). It represents a breakthrough in innovative green technology, using Albania’s rich solar resources while avoiding the use of scarce land.

The EBRD loan will be provided to a special-purpose vehicle owned by KESH and established for the purpose of the construction of the project. Structured as a project finance loan and provided on a commercial basis, the EBRD loan is the first such financing by an international financial institution and will contribute to the commercialisation of KESH, one of Albania’s biggest state-owned utilities.

KESH owns and operates three large hydropower plants with a total capacity of 1,350 MW that account for about 70 per cent of Albania’s domestic generation. The new solar PV plant will contribute to making KESH more resilient to climate-induced risks in relation to hydrology and seasonality.

The project also aligns with Albania's broader ambition to develop its solar capacity, which has resulted in two successful auctions supported by the EBRD and delivering highly competitive tariffs: the 140 MW Karavasta project and the 100 MW Spitalle project.