The government's goal for a planned nuclear power plant is to make the country an energy superpower, but it may do little to help present shortages
by Besar Likmeta - A government-backed proposal to build a nuclear power plant in Albania has made Iran envious, the Italians interested, and the Greeks worried. But for many Albanians, the initiative is just the latest piece of rhetoric from a political class that seems unable to solve the puzzle of a deep energy crisis.
It is one of the poorest countries in Europe, which still endures acute electricity shortages and almost daily blackouts, even in the capital.
Still, Albania is undaunted. In a proposal that has alarmed neighbouring Greece but elicited interest from Italy, the country is proposing to host nuclear plants that would supply electricity across the Adriatic by way of an underwater cable.
The prospect of a nuclear power station being built in Albania has alarmed the Greeks, who already are surrounded or expect to be surrounded by nuclear power stations in neighbouring countries.
Greek Media
Under the heading 'Albania Plans to Build a Nuclear Station', the daily To Ethnos is, after Eleutherotypia, another Greek newspaper that has in the past 10 days published various reactions to the plans to build, in Albania, a nuclear power station that is expected to solve its energy problems. It was the Athens News Agency [ANA] that announced two weeks ago that Albania intends to build a nuclear power station, citing a statement by Albanian Prime Minister Berisha to the effect that "there is an offer from a French company to build a nuclear power station in Durres." According to the Greek media, a Swedish and a US company have also made offers to this effect.
Tirana, 2 March 07 (AENews) – "Bureaucracy and lose of time", were the main topics during a press conference held by ASG power today in Tirana. The company presented its plans to build a thermal power plant, a gas pipeline from Albania to Italy and other energy related facilities. The project is estimated to cost USD 2.3bn. This is the biggest investment in the whole of the Balkan region since the collapse of communism, according to the company.
