The Administrative Court today decided to stop the works for the Poçemi hydropower plant in Vjosa, thus accepting the lawsuit of three environmental organizations.
The three environmental organizations EcoAlbania, Riverwatch and EuroNatur as well as 38 activist citizens sued the government for the construction of the Poçemi hydropower plant in Vjosa in December 2016 at the Administrative Court.
The plaintiffs requested the suspension of any decision or promise of building a hydroelectric power plant by two Turkish companies.
Against the construction of hydropower plants in the Vjosa River have been not only ordinary citizens but also international institutions, such as:
- The European Commission has expressed its opposition to the construction of hydropower plants. In the Progress Report of 2014, the Commission urged the government to revise plans for the construction of hydropower plants in Vjosa, as they would damage one of the last intact and natural ecosystems left in Europe.
- The European Parliament (EP) urged the Albanian government to stop the construction of hydropower plants in protected areas, especially in national parks.
- The EP adopted in April 2016 a resolution on Albania, which includes, among other issues, the destruction of national parks by hydropower plants.
But despite the opposition coming from the citizens and the Council of Europe asking not to build hydroelectric power plants in Vjosa, Prime Minister Rama did not withdraw from the decision on their construction. In April the tender winner was announced for the Poçemi hydropower plant.
In May 2016, the Ministry of Energy and Industry announced the granting of a 35-year concession to the construction of the Poçemi hydropower plant in the Vjosa Valley.
The concessionaire was a union of two inexperienced Turkish energy companies with modest capacities.
