The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has provided €12.7 million for a major upgrade of Komani, Albania’s most important hydropower power plant.
The Komani hydro power plant iis the most important source of electricity in Albania in the mountains of the Puka region. The Komani dam, with an installed power of 600 MW, is the largest of a complex including three hydro cascades that produce 65 per cent of Albania’s electricity demand. Such an energy source produces no greenhouse gas emissions or waste; it is clean and renewable.
The crucial piece of infrastructure is now up for a major upgrade which aims to enhance the dam’s safety. The EBRD is investing €12.7 million in this operation worth over €70 million in which the Albanian government and other international financial institutions are taking part.
No major maintenance work has been carried out for in the almost 30 years since the structure was built. The dam’s current state of disrepair can be seen by the naked eye in its lower external part, which is corroded by the spill water and slowly crumbling. Further weaknesses were exposed after exceptional rainfall in 2010, highlighting the need to improve resilience in the face of ever more frequent extreme weather conditions.
“We are completing the removal of debris at the toe and the construction of the serpentine road which will improve access to the dam,” said Astrit Beqiri, the Director of the Komani plant at the Albanian Power Corporation (KESH), the state company that manages the largest generation plants in Albania.
The work to cement the dam and introduce rock fall measures is due to start in March 2015, he added. The project is based on the results of a feasibility study funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). It helped identify urgent investment needs to bring the dam safety to modern standards, including a better monitoring and alarm system and improved procedures and maintenance operations.
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