A 150 MW DC/136 MW AC solar power project is being planned in Kosovo, announced the country’s transmission system operator KOSTT on its website. It entered an agreement to allow the project’s connection to its transmission system with the Director of the Solar Energy Group Europe, Egbert Schnuse. This would basically double the total installed solar capacity of the Eastern European country.
The brief statement from KOSTT reveals the planned project will be located in the municipality of Gjakova and connected to the 110 kV transmission network through the new 110 kV line with a length of about 6.5 km.
Solar Energy Group Europe plans to start commercial operations for the plant in 2022.
In December 2020, the State Aid Commission expressed its disapproval for the feed-in-tariff (FIT) tariffs approved by Kosovo Energy Regulatory Office for 20 MW solar capacity, calling it incompliant with European Union rules (see Kosovo’s FIT For 20 MW Solar PV Projects ‘Incompliant’).
At the end of 2019, Kosovo’s total installed renewable energy capacity was 140 MW, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) with solar PV’s share being 9 MW.
The Balkan country has also been wanting to launch an auction system for renewable energy as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was looking for a consultant to help design the scheme in September 2019. The bank back then said Kosovo’s Energy Strategy shows the country wants to have 400 MW of renewables in its total energy mix by 2026 (see EBRD Seeking Consultant For Kosovo RE Auction).
