Albania kicked off the construction of the largest solar park in the Western Balkans last week in Karavaster, Fier in the south of the country.
The Karavaster solar park spans 196 hectares and will have a capacity of 140 MW making it the biggest in the region when completed.
The company behind the project, Voltalia said the project will include 240,000 bifacial panels using the latest technology which is more efficient than conventional photovoltaics as it enables additional output from light that reflects off the ground.
Voltalia won a 30-year concession for the site with 50% of the electricity being sold through a 15-year contract to the Albanian public operator, with the rest being sold to private operators. The project is expected to be completed in the second half of 2023.
“We are particularly proud to support the Albanian energy transition. By its size, the Karavasta project is a major element of this policy aimed at increasing the country’s energy independence through economically competitive and environmentally efficient energy,” said Sébastien Clerc, CEO of Voltalia.
The company also has a second solar project in Albania, called Spitalla with a planned capacity of 100MW.
