Today, the Institute for Social Policies “Musine Kokalari” presented the report “Hydropower Plants for Private Profit at the Expense of the Public Environment” at a press conference.
This report has been published within the project “The Social Impact of Hydropower Plants on Our Society,” as part of Human Rightivism, supported by the Community Development Fund – CDF and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency – SIDA.
The Project Coordinator, Dardan Bujupi, announced that the study focused on the Deçan Gorge with its four hydropower plants, using the Radavc hydropower plant as a comparison point.
He presented the research findings, such as the violation of political rights, decision-making, and the right to be informed, specifically the lack of transparent public discussion.
The research shows that we have shifted from the environment as a public good to the environment as a tool of the supply economy, where there is a clear difference between the pre-feasibility period and the post-construction period; both in terms of investments by the company ‘Kelkos Energy’ and in installed capacity and hydropower potential.
Bujupi revealed the differences in investments between the projections and the actual implementations by the company Kelkos, where the discrepancy amounts to €14,242,577, corresponding to 26% of the total projected investment value.
The non-transparent concession to the detriment of the environment, the violation of the Water Law and the exploitation of the entire water capacity, the destruction of vegetation and natural habitat, as well as the damage to tourism and agricultural potential, remain highly problematic issues.
In conclusion, Belgzim Kamberi, Board Director of the Institute for Social Policies “Musine Kokalari,” presented 8 recommendations as a result of the research:
– The details of holding public debates should be specified in a more rigorous manner
– Licenses for the construction of hydropower plants should be granted through a competitive concession procedure with multiple bidders, and not through a water permit issued to a single company.
– The permit from the Energy Regulatory Office (ERO) should comply with the fundamental principle of hydropower construction, which is the preservation of the ecological minimum and the real hydropower potential of the river (as also foreseen in the pre-feasibility study), while taking into account the water flow that can be used for energy without compromising the river’s flow, landscape, water volume, and the habitat of aquatic life.
– Investors’ commitments should be included in the contract, along with a clause that provides for the possibility of contract termination in case of failure to fulfill the obligations by the investors.
– The ecological minimum should be more clearly defined through a formula developed by field experts.
– Continuous monitoring of the operation of hydropower plants should be conducted by the responsible inspectorate.
– A standard should be established for the materials used in hydropower construction to ensure that the structures are in harmony with the environment.
– Within the framework of the pre-feasibility study, a social impact assessment on the community regarding the construction of hydropower plants should also be conducted.
Download the report: