The data from the Albanian Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) for the second quarter of 2024 highlights significant changes in the country’s electricity production and trade compared to the same period in 2023:
Electricity production:
Total production amounted to 1,841 GWh, which represents a 19% decrease from the previous year’s figure of 2,269 GWh.
Hydropower plants generated 93% (or 1,716 GWh) of the total electricity produced, with state-owned HPPs contributing 45% of this hydropower output.
Electricity exports:
The volume of electricity exports dropped by 15% year-on-year, totaling 665 GWh.
Electricity imports:
There was a substantial increase in electricity imports, which rose by 75% compared to the second quarter of 2023, reaching 623 GWh.
These shifts suggest a challenging period for Albania’s energy sector, with a significant reduction in domestic production likely leading to the increased reliance on imports to meet demand. The heavy dependence on hydropower, especially from state-owned plants, underscores the vulnerability of Albania’s energy supply to fluctuations in water availability, which could be influenced by seasonal variations or climate change impacts.