The year 2024 has started with a “flood” of applications at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy (MIE) regarding independent photovoltaic plant projects aimed at selling in the free market without agreements with public companies.

The Ministry recently published the requirements of four other companies that have photovoltaic projects with different capacities, totaling 170.2 MW.

The first application belongs to a company which has expressed interest in building a photovoltaic plant with an installed capacity of 50.4 MW for the production of electricity from renewable sources. This plant is not a concession object and does not benefit from support measures, located in Korça district.

The second application belongs to a company for the construction of a photovoltaic plant with an installed capacity of 100 MW located in Fier district.

The third project for which an application has been submitted is from a company, which has expressed interest in building a photovoltaic plant with an installed capacity of 11 MW for the production of electricity from renewable sources, located in Elbasan district.

The fourth project is for a photovoltaic plant with an installed capacity of 8.8 MW, also located in Fier district.

Just a few weeks ago, six other applications were submitted to the MIE for an installed capacity of 213 MW in photovoltaic plants.

Investments in renewable energy sources, especially solar energy, became attractive, especially during 2022 when the energy crisis reached its peak, leading various businesses to see energy as a form of diversification. While prices experienced a gradual decrease during 2023 but are still above the historical average in stock exchanges for the period, investments in energy remain attractive to businesses.

Since various forms of promoting new energy sources are currently being implemented in the country, especially regarding solar energy, it remains unclear what total capacity Albania has reached because some projects have been completed and licensed, some are in the construction process, some are in procedural phases, and others are in the auction phase.

The Energy Regulatory Authority licensed 10 entities for electricity production from photovoltaics with an installed capacity of 354 MW during 2023 alone.