Prime Minister Edi Rama said that Albania is set to take the regional lead for solar power and aims to be a regional champion in renewable energy by 2030.
In a speech to close his second term as Prime Minister, he said that Albania was “suffocating under waste and pollution” eight years ago but now it’s “much different”. This is despite the fact that in eight years, there are no state or even mass recycling plants, four incinerators have been issued permits, and dumping in landfills has reached an all-time high. Furthermore, Tirana continues to suffer from significant air pollution and is one of the worst places in Europe. The city is also one of Europe’s main contributors of plastic waste to the Mediterranean, despite it not even being located on the coast.
Rama said that the fight to protect the environment should intensify as “primitive landfills and the troubling water and air pollution” are just a small part of the problem.
He boasted of the two solar power plants at Karavasta and Spitalle, failing to mention that one of the recently launched floating solar plants had sunk shortly after being launched.
The Prime Minister also claimed that the country is set to become a net energy exporter by the end of the decade, highlighting the Skavica Hydropower plant as a contributor. He didn’t mention that hydropower is not green or sustainable and that due to climate change, Albania is not considered a suitable location for such structures.
Solar power and wind power are considered the most viable and sustainable forms of energy for Albania.
