[ALBSA-Info] Drought Forces Albania to Ration Electricity

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

Drought Forces Albania to Ration Electricity

TIRANA, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Albania's national electricity company has begun 
cutting power for up to nine hours a day throughout the country following 
droughts which have halved water reserves, officials said on Friday. 

Economy and Privatisation Minister Mustafa Muci criticised the state-owned 
monopoly KESH, which imports up to five million kilowatts of power per day 
from Bulgaria, Greece and Macedonia. 

Muci told managers to stabilise the situation or quit. 

Albania, one of Europe's poorest countries, relies heavily on hydroelectric 
schemes for its power. 

The cuts come at a bad time for the ruling five-party coalition led by the 
Socialist Party, which faces local government elections on October 1. 

``This extraordinary drought has brought water reserves in the Drin cascade 
to 30 cubic metres per second compared to the average of 70 cubic metres or 
more per second,'' Muci told reporters. 

Muci said KESH would speed up investment in grid upgrades. 

``We will do our utmost so Albanian citizens do not have to live in the dark 
this winter,'' Muci said, adding talks were being held with Macedonia to 
increase imports. 

Experts say the situation is not likely to change until Albania liberalises 
the electricity market and creates new sources to generate power. 

About 25 percent of electricity generated in Albania is lost during 
distribution because of a worn-out network and another 25 percent is not paid 
for by consumers. 

The Economy Ministry is considering taking steps to enable the bank accounts 
of those who evade payment to be frozen. 

``KESH will turn a corner because this year the World Bank's board of 
directors will have reviewed the $87 million dollar project it suspended 
pending agreement with Enel,'' Muci said. 

Italy's Enel manages KESH, a condition international financing institutions 
set for allocating credits.