The incumbent government of Kosovo is insisting on the gasification of coal while seeking support from the American Administration for cooperation in gas projects, but not for connection to the regional network that the USA insists on.
The Acting Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, on Friday stated that Kosovo has not chosen imports from the states of the region before local production of electricity, or American gas, but that it has chosen coal and renewable resources that rely on local sources.
She emphasized that instead of building the gas pipeline and the accompanying infrastructure, the Government has seen the importation of liquefied gas through Vlora, the production of energy there and the transmission without the need for additional investments, a more appropriate solution.
As Rizvanolli stated, the Government considers liquefied gas from the USA “not as a replacement for our resources, but only as an additional resource for times when local resources are not enough”.
“It is not true that the Government of Kosovo is against liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the USA, as is being said. As early as 2022, we have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Albania with the aim of cooperating with the Vlora thermal power plant with energy. We have considered this a more practical and economically advantageous solution. Instead of building a gas pipeline and gas transmission infrastructure, which takes time and costs, we can import LNG through Vlora, produce energy electricity there and transmit it through the 400kV interconnection line that we have ready today and does not require a single cent of additional investment”, she said through a video published on Facebook.
According to Rizvanolli, with coal gasification, new capacities will be added with more advanced technology and less pollution.
He further said that the Government in office remains coordinated with the foreign policy of the USA.
While the USA has requested that Kosovo become part of the regional project for American gas, The current government has given another proposal. Minister Rizvanolli in April filed with the American Embassy a request for support for projects related to coal gasification, citing large lignite reserves and President Donald Trump’s policies to support the coal industry.
