Prishtina, 21 December, 2022
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, accompanied by the Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, visited the Energy Corporation of Kosovo, from where he gave the commitment to work together and even more in 2023.
As the Government, we are taking all available steps to ensure a reduction in energy consumption, thus helping the family budget and the state budget in times of crisis, said Prime Minister Kurti, highlighting especially the subsidies for families to buy efficient equipment for heating and for those that save electricity.
“In the midst of this challenge that has shaken the foundations of one of the most neglected sectors, KEK, with the help of the Government of Kosovo, has managed to complete projects that will ensure the continuation of the Corporation’s operation and the strengthening of its capacities in the future”, he said.
Further, the Prime Minister emphasized that the Government has secured grants and loans that will enable the implementation of a solar project of 100 Megawatt capacity, which is the first public investment in generating capacity since the beginning of the operation of the B2 block over 4 decades before.
He also said that this project is part of the Government’s comprehensive commitment to sustainable development, which also includes the “Solar 4 Kosova” project, which foresees the expansion of the Termokos heating plant through solar energy. “The projects started in KEK mark the opening of a new chapter for Kosovo, where the role of KEK continues to be necessary and matches the variety of requirements of a modern and stable sector”, he said.
Before the end of the year, KEK has already produced 5,152 GWh hours, of which 581 GWh hours were exported, approximately 11.2 percent of the total production went for export. To reach this level of production, about 7.5 million tons of coal were extracted from the 8 million that were planned for 2022.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Honorable Minister of Economy, Rizvanolli,
Dear head of KEK, Krasniqi,
Dear Director of the Board, Haziri,
Dear engineers and workers of the Electricity Corporation of Kosovo,
Dear attendees,
Ladies and gentleman,
It is a great pleasure to be here among you today, and this visit before the end of this year, together with the Minister of Economy and the leadership of KEK, is proof of the role of the Energy Corporation of Kosovo for the state and especially for the sector of energy. Before the end of the year, KEK has already produced 5,152 GWh hours, of which 581 GWh hours were exported. Approximately 11.2 percent of the total production went for export. To reach this level of production, about 7.5 million tons of coal have been extracted from the 8 million that were planned for 2022. As always, a significant part of the electricity supply in Kosovo is provided by KEK workers who operate both in the mine and in our power plants Kosova A and Kosova B. And again in the cold winter season, KEK bears the main burden of dealing with the successive crises of the energy crisis which has gripped Europe for more than a year.
Through information campaigns, but also by subsidizing, and especially by subsidizing families to buy efficient heating devices and those that save electricity, as the Government we are taking all the steps available to ensure a reduction in energy consumption, thus helping the family budget and the state budget in times of crisis.
In the midst of this challenge that has shaken the foundations of one of the most neglected sectors, KEK, with the help of the Government of Kosovo, has managed to complete projects that will ensure the continuation of the Corporation’s operation and the strengthening of capacities her in the future.
Through KEK’s cooperation with the Energy Corporation of Albania, Kosovo has deposited 225GWh of energy in order to compensate for shortages when we need them.
The efficiency of repairs for the unforeseeable shutdowns of the two power plants has increased. While work is being done on the repairs of the Kosova A Power Plant units, in Kosova B the equipment will be modernized so as to restore the full efficiency of the Power Plant.
After that, electro filters will be installed that will have a significant impact on reducing emissions, with the project financed by the European Union.
The European Union will also disburse a fund of 75 million euros, which we will use so that the citizens of Kosovo can overcome this energy crisis more easily.
The government has provided grants and loans which will enable the implementation of a solar project of 100 Megawatt capacity. Since this solar park will be added to KEK’s generation portfolio and will be managed by you, this is the first public investment in generation capacity since the start of operation of block B2 more than 4 decades ago. This is KEK’s first step towards strengthening and diversifying energy sources. This project is part of the Government’s comprehensive commitment to sustainable development, which also includes the “Solar 4 Kosova” project, which envisages the expansion of the Termokos heating plant through solar energy. The projects launched in KEK mark the opening of a new chapter for Kosovo, where the role of KEK continues to be indispensable and corresponds to the variety of requirements of a modern and stable sector.
I thank each and every one of you for the work you do in KEK, for your commitment and for your contribution which is vital for the Republic of Kosovo, especially in times of crisis like this.
Then, we pledge to work together even more in 2023 and with this commitment we wish everyone a Happy New Year!
Last modified: December 22, 2022