Ramadani criticizes spending on electricity imports: A power plant could have been built for 1 billion euros

At a plenary session of the Assembly, Alliance MP Burim Ramadani criticized the Kosovo government over the state of the energy sector. He said inadequate planning, delayed investments and unmet targets have direct consequences for the economy and household expenses.

Ramadani said Kosovo spent more than 1 billion and 55 million euros on electricity purchases from 2021 through October 2026. He asked why a new power plant had not been built instead of relying on imports.

Referring to that period both as 5 years and 10 months and as 5 and a half years, the MP said electricity had been bought in large quantities and at high prices. In his remarks, he also described the amount as slightly less than 1 billion and 55 million euros, saying that around 1 billion euros could almost have paid for a new power plant. According to Ramadani, one of the government’s first decisions after taking office was to cancel a project for a new power plant. He said this limited Kosovo’s ability to produce enough electricity and increased its need for imports.

He called on the government to account for the problems in the energy sector. Ramadani stressed that reliance on imports leaves Kosovo exposed to price changes in international and regional markets, while energy insecurity and rising household costs weigh on citizens.

The MP sought clarification on measures taken to increase domestic production, modernize existing capacity and develop new, sustainable energy sources. He said the responsible ministry should answer for project delays and explain what it will do this year to prevent the same problems from recurring, particularly ahead of what he said would be a difficult winter.

Vetëvendosje Movement MP Taulant Kelmendi also spoke during the energy debate. He questioned whether the public interest had been protected during the privatization of electricity distribution and supply, and said the parties that supported the process owed citizens answers.

Kelmendi recalled that the decision to privatize was made in 2008, the process was completed in autumn 2012 and it took effect in spring 2013. He said the winning bid for KEDS was 26.3 million euros, while around 180 million euros had been invested in KEK between the postwar period and privatization. He said the Vetëvendosje Movement, experts and civil society had raised concerns at the time about the lack of information on the value of the assets being sold. For Kelmendi, the question remains how the public interest could have been protected when citizens and their representatives did not know that value.

Kelmendi also discussed the responsibilities of private operators in electricity supply. Regarding claims that electricity had been bought from EFT, he called for concrete evidence and said no public company had purchased electricity from it during their time in government. He described EFT as a very bad company and recalled that the Vetëvendosje Movement, its political representatives, MPs and the Professional Committee for Energy had called it part of the energy mafia.

According to Kelmendi, allegations of public electricity purchases must be backed by contracts, sales records and identifiable payments. He added that the appearance of a trader’s name in cross-border auctions does not prove that the electricity ended up in Kosovo.

Later in the session, MPs are also scheduled to consider the draft law amending and supplementing the Law on the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, known as the Special Court Law.