Electricity production in Albania reached 8.96 billion kWh last year, with an increase of 70% compared to the previous year and 410 million kWh more than the previous annual record set in 2018 as a result of the combination of abundant rainfall and the commissioning of new hydropower plants, mainly the Moglica hydropower plant on the Devoll River. 

Data released by the Institute of Statistics on Thursday also show that 2021 was one of the few years with a positive balance in cross-border electricity exchanges. Electricity exports were about 550 million kWh higher than imports. 

Albania continues to be a deficit country in terms of electricity in perennial terms. Over the last three years, the average annual deficit has been 1.3 billion kWh. 

Currently about 40% of the energy produced in Albania comes from privately owned hydropower plants, built with concession or privatized while 60% comes from hydropower plants of the Drini cascade, which remain state-owned. 

The largest private producer is Devoll Hydropower, the concession company that built two hydropower plants on the Devoll River, with 683 million kWh produced during 2021 or 7.6% of the total energy produced in the country. The other major private producer is Kurum with 406 million kWh. Kurum manages the hydropower plants Bistrica 1 and 2 and Hec Ulëza and Hec Shkopeti on the Mat River, which were privatized by the Albanian government a decade ago. Ashta, the hydropower plant built on the Drin River by Verbund, produced 295 million kWh last year, or 3.2% of the total, making it the third largest private producer. 

AYEN AS ENERGY, the owner of the Fang hydropower plant in Mirdita was the fourth largest private producer with 237 million kWh.