Albanian Minister of Energy Damian Gjiknuri said that it is expected that the Albanian energy market will be fully liberalized by 2025. During the presentation of the country’s Energy Strategy up to 2030, Minister Gjiknuri reminded that Albania and Kosovo, supported by the US agency for international development (USAID) and the Energy Community Secretariat, are working for the integration of the two electricity markets and the establishment of a joint power exchange with longterm objective of integration into the European market.
According to the targets set in the strategy, Albania is planning to reduce electricity distribution losses from 26.4 % in 2017 to 10 % in 2030, while the collection rate of electricity bills should improve to 98 % in 2030, from 90 % in 2018. Consumption of electricity produced from renewable sources should increase to 42 % of the total consumption in 2030, greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced to 11.5 % and the penetration of natural gas should reach 20 % of the total supply of primary energy sources.
Minister Gjiknuri stressed that some of major challenges of the Albanian energy sector in the coming years include supporting economic development, increasing security of energy supply, improving energy efficiency, increasing the share of renewable energy sources, implementing the project for the gasification of the energy sector after the construction of the Trans-Adriatic (TAP) gas pipeline as well as the start of the Ionian-Adriatic (IAP) gas pipeline project and exploring the possibility of linking Albania and Kosovo through a gas pipeline.
