"Kosovo on the verge of energy poverty, due to rising electricity prices"
"Kosovo is on the verge of energy poverty, due to the rising cost of electricity," said the executive director of the Institute for Development Policy (INDEP), Burim Ejupi, at the roundtable discussion within the framework of the project "Energy Poverty in Kosovo II", organized by INDEP.
"If electricity tariffs continue to increase, while wages remain unchanged, the country could face the level of energy poverty of 2007," said Ejupi.
Meanwhile, Besiana Qorraj-Berisha from the Ministry of Economy said that their role is to draft policies and the basis of energy communities.
"The Energy Strategy of the Republic of Kosovo for the period 2022–2031 includes among its key objectives the promotion of energy from renewable sources," said Qorraj-Berisha.
The representative of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Granit Gashi, said that their goal is to push forward the frameworks that would enable the energy transition for Kosovo.
Meanwhile, capacity development expert Lindita Daija said that in terms of legislation, Kosovo is already at an advanced stage.
"However, there is still work to be done in secondary legislation, especially regarding the organization of committees and defining more concrete steps for how this organization should be developed," said Daija.
Energy resources expert, Zanfina Kabashi, said that Kosovo has potential for many types of renewable energy sources.
The report published by INDEP on the topic "Energy Communities and Energy Poverty in Kosovo" assesses that Kosovo is at a critical moment, without clear regulations and financial mechanisms, energy communities risk remaining on paper.
This report presents several recommendations, including that the Ministry of Economy and the Energy Regulatory Office establish a joint working group within six months, which will be tasked with completing the legal basis for energy communities.
This process is not limited to the adoption of secondary legislation arising from the Law on Renewable Energy Sources and ERO regulations on support schemes, but also includes the amendment of existing laws.
Another recommendation is that the Ministry of Economy, in cooperation with other institutions, should approve within 12 months a National Program for the Decentralization of Energy Production, where energy communities have a central role.
"ERO and KOSTT should publish within 18 months a national map that includes: network capacities (LV/MV), proximity to substations, load points, technical constraints and territorial distribution of energy poverty," these recommendations state, among other things.
