Unit A4 was taken out of operation in a controlled manner on August 11, 2026, at 00:00, after a hydrogen gas (H₂) leak was detected in the generator near bearing No. 7, the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK) announced.

KEK explained that the measure was taken as a precaution and in accordance with technical safety standards, in order to create the conditions for inspecting the equipment and carrying out the necessary interventions.

Immediately after the shutdown, professional teams began verifying the technical condition, determining the source of the leak and working to resolve the problem.

According to the corporation, Unit A4 will be put back into operation once the inspections and technical interventions have been completed and it has been confirmed that the conditions for safe operation have been met.

The public will be informed in a timely manner of any further developments, including when the unit will return to operation, KEK announced.

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The prices of the most important basic consumer products—coffee, vegetables, and dairy—rose much more than the overall average price in June 2026.

Lemons, ground coffee, liquefied gas, and wine recorded the strongest increases compared to a year ago, while canned fish, sugar, and beer were sold cheaper than a year earlier, according to data from the Institute of Statistics on average consumer prices for key basket items.

Of the 45 items analyzed, 28 recorded price increases, while 16 recorded price decreases.

Lemons rose 23.5%, coffee 14.6%

The highest annual increase was recorded by the price of lemons. A kilogram of lemons cost an average of 253.6 lek in June 2026, up from 205.4 lek in the same month last year. The price rose by 48.2 lek per kilogram, or 23.5%. Ground coffee was another product with a significant increase. The price for 100 grams reached 169.2 lek, from 147.6 lek a year earlier, a 14.6% increase. Liquefied gas rose 12.4%, as a result of international market changes due to the war in Iran. The average price per liter was 64.4 lek last month.

Wine rose by 11.2%. A 0.75-liter bottle cost an average of 756.9 lek, up from 680.8 lek in June last year, or 76.1 lek more.

Above-average increases for fish, cucumbers, peppers, and yogurt

INSTAT data show that seasonal produce prices rose above the 3.2% average inflation in June 2026. The price of cucumbers increased by 9.9%, reaching 97.6 lek per kilogram. Peppers rose by 8%, reaching 137 lek per kilogram, from 126.8 lek a year earlier.

Fresh fish cost an average of 923.1 lek per kilogram, up from 851.8 lek in June 2025, an 8.4% increase.

The price of natural yogurt rose by 6.9%, reaching 192.5 lek per kilogram in June 2026, while eggs increased by 5.2%. Olive oil was sold on average at 839.2 lek per liter, from 798.9 lek a year earlier, marking an increase of 40.3 lek or 5%. Olives rose by 4.5%, apples by 4%, cottage cheese by 3.8%, and pork by 3.6%.

Meat continues to rise

In the meat group, the highest increase was recorded for pork, the price of which reached 687.1 lek per kilogram, from 663.4 lek in June 2025, or 3.6%. Chicken meat rose by 2.1%, while lamb, ram, and kid meat cost on average 2% more than a year earlier in June. At the same rate of 2%, ham also rose, while frankfurters increased by 1.9% and salami by 0.8%. The price of beef remained unchanged at 1,235.8 lek per kilogram.

Canned fish and sugar see the steepest decline

The largest price drop was recorded by canned fish. The average price for 100 grams fell to 164.7 lek, a 19.6% decrease from June 2025. Sugar became cheaper by 12.9%. A kilogram cost an average of 90.6 lek, down from 104 lek in June 2025. Beer recorded an 8.9% decrease, with the average price for half a liter dropping to 158.6 lek. Butter became cheaper by 3.8%. The price of rice fell by 3.5%, while sunflower oil decreased by 2.5%. Pasta and carbonated soft drinks also saw declines of 1.8% each, fresh milk by 1.3%, potatoes by 1.2%, and oranges by 1.1%. White cheese became cheaper by 0.7%, yellow cheese by 0.6%, and beans by 0.5%.

Eurodiesel rises, gasoline remains stable

In the fuel group, eurodiesel recorded a price increase, while gasoline remained almost at the same level as a year earlier. The average price of eurodiesel rose from 173.1 lek to 180.1 lek per liter, or by 7 lek and 4%. Gasoline cost an average of 172.7 lek per liter, from 172.9 lek in June 2025, a negligible decrease of 0.1%. Prices in this group were affected by the war in Iran, where due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, oil supply from the Middle East to global markets was hindered, impacting price increases./Monitor

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Thomas Waitz, an Austrian MEP from the Greens group in the European Parliament, has submitted written questions to the European Commission regarding plans and debates related to the development of new fossil gas infrastructure in candidate countries for European Union membership, including Kosovo.

In the document submitted several days ago, Waitz notes that Kosovo has already adopted its Energy Strategy and is finalizing its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP). He also mentions the implementation of obligations arising from the Climate Law and the preparation of Kosovo’s voluntary climate contribution.

According to the MEP, despite these processes, political debate over the development of fossil gas infrastructure has intensified recently. This is happening even though Kosovo currently has no gas market, distribution network, storage capacity or clearly established demand base.

In one of the three questions submitted, Waitz asks the European Commission to assess proposals aimed at building new fossil gas infrastructure in candidate countries where no such system exists. He asks how these proposals align with the goals of the Green Agenda, the responsibilities arising from the Energy Community and the NECP preparation process.

Waitz also seeks clarification on whether potential energy investments by third countries and international partners should be aligned with the national energy strategies adopted by candidate countries, as well as with the situation on the ground. According to his question, this would ensure consistency with the energy transition supported by the European Union.

The third issue concerns how the European Commission intends to help enlargement countries foster fact-based public debate and strategic planning. The request comes as discussions about fossil gas are taking up an increasing share of political debate, even though long-term objectives include decarbonization, the expansion of renewable energy sources, improved energy efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

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Kurti also highlighted the special dimension of this project for relations with the diaspora. He stressed that the consortium’s leading company, Orllati Group, which grew up in Switzerland, is bringing to Kosovo experience, capital and high work standards through a long-term investment.

The head of government recalled that for decades the diaspora has stood by Kosovo in the most challenging periods. He noted that more and more entrepreneurs from the diaspora are returning with investments, production, technology and new jobs, marking a new and very important phase of their contribution.

Kurti also expressed gratitude for the American government, which has provided support in preparing and drafting the first solar auction. US expertise, he said, has helped the process follow best international practices and inspire trust among investors.

Turning to other energy projects, the prime minister announced that the next auction for new wind energy capacities, up to 100 megawatts, has entered the final phase of bid submission. He specified that three companies are pre-qualified: one from France, one from Germany and Kosovo, and one from Turkey, all possessing the necessary experience and expertise.

Meanwhile, Kurti noted that the wind farm in Selac, with a capacity of 70 megawatts, is near completion. From the ceremony location, he pointed out that the turbines of this park in Zatriq could be seen on the horizon. He also informed that the Kosovo Energy Corporation (KEK), with support from the German Development Bank (KfW), has announced the tender for its solar park with a minimum capacity of 100 megawatts.

Kurti underlined the growing role of renewable sources in the energy landscape. He explained that these technologies, besides being clean, have become increasingly cost-competitive in recent years. Sources like sun and wind, he added, are inexhaustible and have no fuel costs, thus helping to reduce import dependence.

Further, he revealed that the Government is investing in battery storage systems to store energy, with a $202 million grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). He expressed gratitude to the Trump administration, which last year decided to continue the compact program with Kosovo, and said that after that decision work has proceeded with intensity. Kurti announced that during August, bidding is expected from qualified American companies for the construction of battery systems with a capacity of 170 megawatts for two hours – a total of 340 megawatt-hours – and that construction will start next year.

Finally, the caretaker prime minister connected energy security with economic and national security, especially under conditions of geopolitical instability and price fluctuations on international stock exchanges. He argued that every megawatt-hour produced from domestic sources reduces exposure to external crises and strengthens support for a growing economy.

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She delivered this message during the US-Kosovo Partnership Award ceremony.

At the same time, Prattipati also welcomed Kosovo’s decision to remove customs tariffs on American goods.

A post by the embassy said that “US Chargé d’Affaires Anu Prattipati took part in the US-Kosovo Partnership Award ceremony, where members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo were recognized for their contribution to strengthening trade between the United States and Kosovo.

Furthermore, according to the post, in her speech she welcomed Kosovo’s decision to remove customs tariffs on American goods and called on the country to diversify its energy supply through liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US, with the aim of securing future American investment.”

A few weeks earlier, through an op-ed, Prattipati had called on Kosovo to become involved in American natural gas projects planned in the Balkans in order to guarantee its energy future.

She had stressed that Kosovo should move quickly to seize this opportunity, underlining that the time available is running out.

According to her, the country can connect through regional projects such as the Vertical Gas Corridor and the floating natural gas terminal in Croatia, or through the pipeline under construction to link the liquefied natural gas terminal in Alexandroupolis, Greece, with Skopje in North Macedonia.

Prattipati also warned that any delay in making such a decision could leave Kosovo as the only country in the Western Balkans without access to American liquefied natural gas.

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Commenting on the fact that the Government of Kosovo has still not accepted this project, he said in an interview that American gas is expensive. According to him, it is understandable why the United States of America is interested in such an agreement, but he stressed that the final decision should be made by Kosovo itself.

“American gas is very expensive. I understand why the Americans want Kosovo to take it. It would help complete the picture in the Balkans. And this administration, this American administration, is a transactional administration. It wants to make deals. So I think Kosovo should talk to the Americans, but I also think Kosovo should take its own interests into account and make a decision on that basis,” he said.

In the part of the interview related to the statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who has defended Milan Radoičić, Serwer said he has confidence in the judicial system to deal with this issue, while describing Vučić’s comments as driven by political interest.

“I have full confidence in the judicial system here to deal with this issue. I think Mr. Vučić is saying things for his own political benefit, instead of doing what he should do, which is to renounce the Banjska incident and prosecute it himself. The Serbian judicial system should prosecute the perpetrators,” he said.

Serwer also spoke about the institutional crisis in Kosovo, which he said has cost the country important time because of political instability and lengthy electoral processes.

“Everyone is fed up with the crisis. Everyone thinks they have lost something from this year, a year and a half from three rounds of elections. And I think that is true. I think it has not been a productive time. This happens especially in parliamentary systems. Frankly, the United States has also had a difficult time over the last year and a half. But it is time, you know, for our institutions to be a bit more consolidated than Kosovo’s institutions,” he said.

At the same time, he sent the message that the moment has now come for Kosovo’s institutions to show that they are capable of functioning, through the election of a president and the formation of a new government.

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According to the Chamber, the priorities presented so far do not properly address Kosovo’s need to increase domestic electricity generation capacity, reduce dependence on imports and, as a result, strengthen security of supply.

In the American Chamber’s assessment, the key issue is not whether Kosovo has the ability to import electricity produced in neighboring countries. The strategic dilemma, it says, is whether the country should continue to rely on electricity imports as a finished product, or turn toward investment in new generation capacities within its own territory, which would strengthen energy security, economic competitiveness and strategic independence.

For this reason, the American Chamber stresses that expanding new domestic capacities should be treated as a national priority.

It underlines that it has been claimed that importing electricity through the existing transmission network represents a more practical and lower-cost solution than building gas infrastructure in Kosovo. However, according to the Chamber, such an assessment based solely on the initial infrastructure cost does not reflect the long-term benefits brought by creating new domestic generation capacities.

According to it, every new megawatt produced in Kosovo increases security of supply, reduces dependence on regional electricity markets and creates greater stability for the economy and citizens. By contrast, continued reliance primarily on electricity imports leaves the country vulnerable to price fluctuations and supply risks that are beyond Kosovo’s control. The Chamber notes that the European energy crisis following Russian aggression in Ukraine clearly showed that countries with sufficient domestic generation capacities were far better protected from market shocks.

According to the American Chamber, this is one of the fundamental reasons why many European countries have invested and continue to invest in LNG infrastructure, including American LNG. It emphasizes that, beyond the economic dimension, these decisions have been driven by strategic objectives related to diversifying supply sources, reducing dependence on a limited number of suppliers and strengthening national security. Under the new geopolitical reality, energy is no longer seen only as a commercial commodity, but as a key component of security policy and strategic partnerships. For this reason, it says, Kosovo should not remain outside this transformation.

The American Chamber reiterates that this is precisely why expanding domestic generation capacity must remain among Kosovo’s main strategic objectives.

In this context, it assesses that Kosovo’s inclusion in the regional American LNG infrastructure represents the fastest and most economically favorable path for building new generation capacities. The construction of the gas interconnection through North Macedonia has been identified, through studies supported by the United States Army Corps of Engineers within the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) program, as the most economically favorable alternative for supplying Kosovo with natural gas.

It also says that LNG-based generation capacities are among the commercially ready technologies that can be built within just two to three years. It adds that such projects have significantly greater chances of being financed by international financial institutions than the construction of new coal-based capacities. At the same time, the Chamber stresses that LNG is not an alternative to renewable energy sources, but rather the technology that facilitates the integration of a much larger amount of wind and solar energy, while guaranteeing the flexibility needed for the functioning of a modern electricity system.

On the other hand, it assesses that coal gasification may be considered part of discussions on the country’s long-term energy security, but it cannot respond to Kosovo’s urgent needs to increase generation capacities. According to the Chamber, such a project requires significantly more time to be implemented, while securing financing remains uncertain given international decarbonization policies.

For this reason, the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo considers that the country should pursue a dual approach: to develop new LNG-based generation capacities as quickly as possible to meet short- and medium-term energy security needs, while in parallel continuing to assess long-term options for using its own domestic resources.

In conclusion, the Chamber stresses that energy policies should not be weighed solely on the basis of the initial investment cost, but on their ability to guarantee secure supply, predictable prices and domestic electricity generation. According to it, Kosovo’s inclusion in the regional American LNG infrastructure would pave the way for the construction of new generation capacities in the shortest possible time, would significantly increase energy security, strengthen the competitiveness of Kosovo’s economy and further deepen the strategic partnership with the United States of America.

Referring to all these arguments, the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo repeats its position that, at a time when more and more European countries are considering American LNG a strategic investment for their energy and national security, Kosovo should not miss this opportunity.

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In a video published on Facebook, she rejected claims that Kosovo has decided to give priority to importing gas from countries in the region instead of domestic electricity production or American gas.

Rizvanolli also stressed that Kosovo pays the lowest electricity price compared with the countries of the region.

“On the contrary, we have chosen coal, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, cogeneration for district heating, and energy efficiency.

This combination is based on domestic resources and is the cheapest for our citizens and businesses. Secondly, it is not true that the Government of Kosovo is ‘against’ liquefied natural gas from the US (LNG), as has been claimed,” she said in the video she shared on Facebook.

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She stressed that energy independence is an integral part of state independence and that the discussion on American gas involves security, the economy, diplomacy, the strategic partnership, and the country’s future.

Çitaku criticized the Vetëvendosje Movement, saying that for years it has opposed almost every project that would bring Kosovo greater energy independence, first in opposition and later in government, often even through violent means.

In her post, she said that Kosovo is facing one of the most important strategic moments since the declaration of independence.

According to her, at a time when energy security is taking on the same weight as military security, the decisions made today will affect not only the well-being of citizens, but also Kosovo’s position on the geopolitical map in the decades ahead.

She underlined that modern wars are not fought only with tanks and weapons, but also through energy, supply chains, control over strategic resources, and the state’s ability to protect its citizens from crises.

Therefore, according to Çitaku, when it comes to American gas, the discussion is not limited to energy alone, but directly touches on security, the economy, diplomacy, the strategic partnership, and Kosovo’s future.

She said that the consequences of this policy are already becoming visible, adding that Kosovo is paying more for energy than ever before, while energy imports are increasing year by year.

According to her, businesses are being harmed, while families are facing ever higher and increasingly unaffordable bills.

Çitaku added that while countries in the region are creating new energy links, diversifying supply, and strengthening their security, Kosovo has been left out.

She stated that Kosovo alone continues to reject an opportunity that, according to her, has been consistently supported by the country’s biggest strategic ally, the United States of America.

In the end, Çitaku stressed that partnership with the US is not proven only through statements, but through concrete decisions and projects, adding that the time of isolation must come to an end and that Kosovo should be part of the West’s strategic projects, not merely a spectator to them.

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Responding to journalists’ questions on the issue, she said the competent institutions and field experts should make a careful assessment of the benefits, costs, and effects such a project could bring to citizens and to the Republic of Kosovo.

“Whether Kosovo should accept American gas or not is not a matter of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. It is very important for there to be discussions at the level of the responsible institutions and experts, so that the benefits, costs, and other aspects related to this project can be analyzed,” she said.

Haxhiu underlined that Kosovo has never rejected projects that are in the interest of its citizens and the state, but stressed that issues of this strategic nature require serious discussions and decisions supported by professional analysis.

According to her, Kosovo’s institutions continue to remain open to dialogue and to considering all possibilities, while she noted that Economy Minister Artane Rizvanolli is already dealing with this issue.

“We have not closed the door to serious discussions. We are open to discussing this. Minister Rizvanolli has discussed this issue and is working in this direction. We should give the responsible institutions the opportunity to provide the final answer,” Haxhiu said.

She also reacted to criticism over the way Kosovo’s institutions have approached this project, rejecting the idea that considering other energy alternatives could be presented as a stance against the United States of America.

“If Kosovo sees another solution as better, why should it be criticized and why should the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo be considered anti-American? Kosovo’s institutions work for the interests of citizens and support projects that are in favor of the Republic of Kosovo and its citizens. This should not be seen as anti-Americanism,” Haxhiu declared.

She added that framing the debate over the gas project in political terms serves neither Kosovo nor its partnership with the United States.

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