A Grandiose Project in Albania to Save Italy From the Energy Crisis

Albania Aims to Build the Largest Wind Farm in Europe

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is visiting today Albania to sign energy deals worth more than euro 2 billion for the construction of an undersea gas pipeline linking the two countries, a regasification plant and a large wind farm. Italy’s energy deficit and internal problems in building new infrastructure make Albania an attractive option for sourcing electricity.

The Albanian government has transferred more than 97 hectares of land to Italy’s Moncada Energy Group, which through its Albanian subsidiary, Enpower Albania, aims to build a 500 megawatt wind farm, comprising 250 turbines, in the south of the country. The biggest wind farm in Europe. The project will include the construction of a transmission line running from the port of Vlora in Albania to the Italian port of Brindisi. A cable, stretching 145km under the Adriatic at a depth of over 900 metres, will allow electricity to be transmitted in either direction. Construction is expected to start in 2010.

People involved in the projects, however, suggest that they could face prolonged delays, warning of corruption, lack of transparency in approval procedures, land ownership disputes and resistance from Albanian environmentalists. Environmental groups are outraged that the Albanian Ministry of Environment issued a permit for the wind farm on the Karaburun peninsula, an illegal action under Albania’s own law for protecting natural reserves that forbids all construction “of roads and power transmission lines” in national parks. In this case the Llogara national park, one of the most important natural sites in the Mediterranean. Genuario Belmonte, Professor of Marine Biology at the University of Salento, southern Italy, describes Karaburun as an unspoiled paradise:

“Karaburun is a mythical place, a postcard of what the Mediterranean used to be,” Professor Belmonte says. “The peninsula is the best asset for the region as a way to attract tourists from the European Union.”

It seems that Albanian authorities rapidly amended a law on the transfer of publicly owned forest and pasture to private companies for economic projects. Changing  the 2005 law on March 2007, two weeks before Moncada presented its project to Albanian Prime Minister Berisha. The changes allow the government to increase the amount of public pasture it can transfer to private companies without seeking approval from parliament from 30 to 100 hectares. The authorities deny the law was changed to accommodate Moncada.

According to the Albanian Environmental League, the approved connecting road network should create about 151 kilometres of new roads that will have a huge impact on the peninsula. No one doubts Albania needs more energy, and the so-called green energy is the best form of all. But experts from the country’s Energy Regulatory Entity, ERE, told that Albania would not benefit much from the wind farm planned in the Karaburun peninsula. The Italian company has also yet to prove that there is enough wind on the Karaburun peninsula in order to justify the project.

The debate is open..

Resources: Ansa - Balkan Insight

Image courtesy of Ryan McD on Flickr under Creative Commons

See also in Ecoworldly:

Large Wind Power Park Will Be Peru’s First Major Alternative Energy Project

Wind Farms: Sorting the Wheat from the Chaffinches

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