Albania’s energy ministry said it has suspended until further notice a tender open for local and international entities interested in becoming shareholders in a national power exchange operator due to the unprecedented situation created by the spread of novel coronavirus disease.
Some interested entities were not able to submit the requested documents in the tender due to restriction measures imposed by the government to curb the spread of the disease, the ministry said in a statement last week.
The initial capital of the operator will be 250 million leks ($2.2 million/2.0 million euro), the ministry said in a tender notice in early March.
The operator of the energy exchange will be established by Albania's state-owned power transmission system operator OST and will function as a joint stock company.
According to the tender notice, the Albanian state will hold 35% of the shares of the operator through OST. Transmission operators from other countries may own up to 20.5%, experienced international power exchange operators may have stakes of up to 24.5%, while electricity market participants and financial institutions may hold up to 10% each.
In May 2019, energy minister Belinda Balluku said the government has decided to establish a national power exchange in accordance with European directives as a step forward in advancing the reform of the energy sector.
(SeeNews, April 21, 2020)
