Russia: OLSI NIKA*
The construction of HPPs in Albania took an almost epidemic surge during the years 2010-2013 with the support of the Albanian government of the time, where a total of about 499 concessions were granted, 113 of them are within Protected Areas (according to AKBN). This means that in proportion to the approximately 3000 km of river length that our country's hydrographic network has, it is calculated that a hydropower plant is built for every 6 km of flow. The picture is absolutely apocalyptic when this government initiative was not based on any strategic study of the environmental impacts that the construction of these HPPs could have. On the other hand, the fact that to date not even 30% of them have been completed, even though they have exceeded the deadlines foreseen in the concession contracts, casts a shadow of suspicion for abuses, a history of corruption and fraud in many cases.
In fact, the energy sector is not the main contributor to our country's GDP and the construction of these HPPs would not add more than 10% of it, but the energy production from these would compensate for the part of the energy (about 38%) that we currently lose in the distribution network (Ministry of Energy and Industry). But is it worth finding a solution, sacrificing all the rivers just to compensate for the loss in the network?
In many cases, the construction of HPPs has generated conflicts between the local community and the concession companies. In this perspective, it is clear how little the local community has agreed to these companies, but on the other hand, what is more important is the fact that in addition to the environmental consequences, the construction of these HPPs without a proper Strategic Master Plan also brings negative social consequences, which have often ended in popular revolts.
Not even the Vjosa River, in the south of our country, was spared from this epidemic. In fact, the Kalivaç HPP was among the first to receive a concession contract (since 1997). And then the plans for the use of the Vjosa for hydropower would grow continuously until they reached an alarming figure of 31 HPPs planned in the entire Vjosa watershed. (8 of them in the Vjosa stream and 23 small ones in its branches such as Bënça, Lengarica, Çarshova, Drinos, etc.).
However, the Vjosa River still flows freely from source to mouth and is not in vain considered the last “wild” river in Europe due to its natural state. A unique river that has remained almost untouched in its 270 km, flowing freely from source to mouth… but how long will it continue to be like this?
In a recent press statement, Prime Minister Edi Rama said: "We have another plan for Vjosa, that of a natural park. And of course we cannot reverse the hydropower plants that are under construction, but from Kalivaç onwards we will not allow any more hydropower plants to be built."
This statement calls into question the future of Europe's last wild river. "If the Albanian government allows the construction of the Kalivaç dam, the entire hydromorphological and ecological integrity of this river will be lost. In fact, it is precisely this integrity of the natural continuity of the river's flow that makes the Vjosa unique in all of Europe. Therefore, if this is lost as a result of the construction of even a single dam, as may be the case with Kalivaç, we can no longer support the idea of a Vjosa National Park. On the contrary, at least in my eyes, only the upper part of the Vjosa is not worth becoming a National Park.
We have many rivers in Europe that are in very good condition in their upper reaches, some of them are even Protected Areas, but in no case is there a river among them that flows in its natural bed along its entire length. This is the value that the Vjosa still has and therefore it could be the first park of a natural river on the entire continent. Declaring only its upper reaches as a National Park is not only no longer a uniqueness, but it will be very difficult to explain to the international public how the last 'wild' river of the continent is first sacrificed and then a National Park is declared in that segment that remains. This will not only not sound good, but could also cause a fairly large international reaction. The Vjosa is now internationally known", says Ulirch Eichelmann, river specialist from "RiverWatch".
Meanwhile, hundreds of residents of the Vjosa Valley, from Çarshova to Selenica, have signed a petition addressed to the country's prime minister, demanding the declaration of the Vjosa National Park and the cancellation of hydroelectric power plants in its entire watershed.
We welcome the good will and concrete initiatives of the government towards environmental protection, where for the sake of truth, these have been secondary issues until now. We also understand the difficulty of undoing many unjust decisions regarding HPPs, which undoubtedly have their own financial cost that will inevitably weigh on the shoulders of Albanians. However, we believe that when it comes to compromising our natural heritage, which in itself also constitutes the basis of economic development in the long term, politics in certain cases should not compromise in decision-making. And the case of Vjosa is absolutely such. Establishing “borders” by taking Kalivaç as a reference point does nothing more than divide the river into two parts; where one will be sacrificed for hydropower production and the other will be declared a National Park. This is in fact undoubtedly a compromise, but one that is built on the logic of dividing this ecosystem in two, whose greatest natural value is precisely its continuity, the natural flow that potentially gives it the attributes of a National Park incomparable to any other in Europe. Therefore, we believe that in the case of Vjosa it would be better to pay the financial costs of canceling the concessions today than forever!
On the other hand, during the round of meetings with the Vjosa Valley community, we have found that, from Çarshova to Novosela, the community has expressed its support for the National Park along the entire length of the river, without setting any boundaries or reference points. In fact, the measured solidarity was clearly observed when residents from all over the valley joined the Bënça community to protest against the construction of HPPs on this river, demanding their cancellation as they are destroying the unique ecosystem of the river that they consider to be the heart of the future National Park.
The legal package that the government is preparing to prohibit industrial activities in Protected Areas is certainly a good initiative, but what would really save our hydrographic network would be the undertaking of a Strategic Master Plan that would determine where hydropower plants “can” and “should not” be built. And undoubtedly, until the conclusion of this assessment, which should have been done before granting concession permits, the most appropriate decision would be to suspend all HPPs that have not been completed.
At the end of his speech, Prime Minister Edi Rama stated that: "...We are equally willing to penalize all those who from within the state try to benefit by making deals with crime or with criminals of all levels, in this case with environmental criminals, for whom, as I said, there will be a special package with all the necessary medicines so that this environmental crime can end...".
But will this "medicine package" proposed by the government be able to save the blue heart of Europe, and especially the Vjosa River and its tributaries, from the epidemic of hydroelectric power plants?
* The author is the representative of the Center for Ecosystem Conservation in Albania (EcoAlbania) and coordinator of the “Save the Blue Heart of Europe” campaign in Albania.
(gb/GSH/BalkanWeb)
