Albanian energy imports have already marked the record of recent years! Over 55 is covered by the import. The premise for an energy crisis.

High temperatures above 38 degrees in a few days in Albania have caused drought. The lack of rainfall is leading to fast-drying of Fierza lake. The water level in these last week has fallen by more than 40 cm per day. The decrease in the water level in this dam has brought once again energy imports this summer. Imports from OSHEE (Electricity Power Distribution Operator) have already marked the record for the past few years, tending 16 million Euros for July. All will be covered by OSHEE for now, without seeking support from budget funds, but there will be internal company reallocations. According to the Director of Distribution Division Elton Sevrani, over 55% is covered by imports, and the rest by the production of KESH (Albanian Power Corporation) and local hydro powers as well. The Fierza dam level is approximately 274 meters, while the flow rates do not exceed 100 cubic meters per second. Fierza aggregates, though not full capacity, still work, and this is conditioned by the limited import volume, in accordance with contracts and the inability to provide more energy from imports. Last year there was a stabilization of import prices harmonized with stock exchanges. The latest OSHEE (Electricity Power Distribution Operator ) bid for July billed an average price of 56.95 euros per MW, while the Hungarian stock price which was a reference for Albanian auctions for July is predicted to be 48.84 Euros per MW (approximately 9 Euros). OSHEE (Electricity Power Distribution Operator) imported the July energy with a price 10 Euros more than the stock market price, the biggest difference observed in recent years. Total electricity offered and requested to be purchased by OSHEE (Electricity Power Distribution Operator) for the period of 28 June 2017 to 31 July 2017 was 285,600 Megawatt and converted into monetary value of EUR 16,396,758 (value excluding VAT), with average price of 57.41 Euro / MW (59.54 Eur / MW for the period 28-30 June 2017 and 57.21 Euro / MW for the period 01-31 July 2017). In terms of decrease of domestic production due to drought, OSHEE has secured imports for July, and consumers are guaranteed to supply uninterruptedly.