Albania’s new 140MW solar auction to pave way for future growth

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Image credit: Julien Maury / Flickr

Albania’s government is to find developers of a utility-scale solar project via a new auction later this year, complemented by plans to examine how PV can grow more extensively across the country.

Earlier this week, the country’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy said it will hold an auction this spring to contract a 140MW PV project near Karavasta, a coastal area southwest of capital Tirana.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

The auction – the second of a programme backed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) – is already taking in applications, according to Minister Belinda Balluku.

The auction, the government official said at a presentation event, will see bidders start competing for the Karavasta contract at ceiling prices of €55/MWh (US$61/MWh).

Once the project is up and running, half of its 140MW capacity will go towards a 15-year PPA with state transmission operator OSHEE, with the other half earmarked for free market sales.

The 140MW plant will be split between a 122-hectare site in the Divjaka municipality and a 76-hectare plot of land in the Fier municipality, both in the Karavasta area.

Construction will steer clear of the neighbouring Karavasta lagoon, part of a national park. Designers have “tried to stay as far away as possible” from the protected area, Minister Balluku said.

The solar auction is part of Albania’s efforts to diversify a hydro-reliant power mix. By April 7, the country intends to open actual financial bidding from those pre-accepted from the first round.

This auction aside, the EBRD-backed renewable campaign has seen the government commission analysis around how much PV it can potentially develop, and where.

As minister Balluku noted, the country has launched a study based on earlier World Bank work that will split Albania into three zones and assess how efficient solar deployment would be in each.

News of the Karavasta ground-mount project emerge after Albania was identified as the location for a 2MW floating PV project, which Norwegian firm Ocean Sun will build for utiilty giant Statkraft. 

The prospects and challenges of solar's new era in Europe and beyond will take centre stage at Solar Media's Solar Finance & Investment Europe (London, 5-6 February) and Large Scale Solar Europe 2020 (Lisbon, on 31 March-1 April 2020).

25 November 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Large Scale Solar Central and Eastern Europe continues to be the place to leverage a network that has been made over more than 10 years, to build critical partnerships to develop solar projects throughout the region.
2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

October 7, 2025
Econergy will acquire 100% stake in the 155MW Ratesti solar project in Romania, further expanding its European renewable energy portfolio.
October 7, 2025
Solar PV will account for almost 80% of the 4.6TW of new renewable power expected to be added by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
October 6, 2025
Rajasthan government will develop 500MW/2,000MWh of standalone battery energy storage systems (BESS) with a four-hour single-cycle configuration and extended operational life.
October 6, 2025
German solar inverter manufacturer SMA Solar will cut 350 jobs in 2026 as it adapts to the “weak” residential PV market.
October 6, 2025
An expert panel has identified a series of grid failures that led to April's unprecedented power outage in Spain and Portugal, ruling out renewables as the leading cause.
October 2, 2025
Spanish waste management company Trabede and energy firm Greening Group will build a solar module recycling plant in Granada, Andalusia, Spain.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK