Kosovo gets EUR 55m WBIF grant for 170 MW of solar near Pristina
Date: December 9th 2022
Author: Montel
Category: En.vision
Topic:
Renewables
, Energy policy
, Economy
, Ecology
Kosovo has received a grant of EUR 55m to finance the construction of two solar parks with a total capacity of 170 MW near the capital Pristina, the country’s finance minister said on Thursday.
“The Western Balkans Investment Framework [WBIF] has approved our application for investment grants with a total value of EUR 55m to finance two energy projects, one involving solar central heating and the other a solar park developed by power utility Kek,” finance minister Hekuran Murati wrote on his Facebook page.The Pristina Solar Heating project, with a capacity of 70 MW, will provide central heating in Pristina. Meanwhile, the state-owned power utility Kek is planning to build its first 100 MW solar park, which will soon be followed with another solar park with a similar capacity.
The WBIF, created in 2009, is a joint initiative of the European Union, financial institutions, donors and beneficiaries whose aim is to bring Western Balkan economies closer to those of EU member states.
Kek currently has five active coal units which are responsible for about 95% of the country’s power generation. However, the company intends to install 400 MW of renewables capacity over the next decade with the aim of completely scrapping coal production by 2050.
On Thursday, Kosovo’s parliament voted to extend the energy emergency period for another month, marking the fifth such extension since July.
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