The production of electricity from natural gas has been part of the public debate in Kosovo for years, but it has often passed in institutional silence and without concrete decisions.
Now, this topic has come back into focus, after the Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, expressed Kosovo's willingness to be supplied with natural gas from the United States of America.
Kosovo is one of the most coal-dependent countries in Europe: around 90 percent of electricity is produced by two old power plants – “Kosova A” and “Kosova B” – which, at the same time, are considered among the largest industrial polluters in the country.
Rizvanolli made her pledge while attending the Trans-Atlantic Gas Security Summit, held on February 24 in Washington.
National security is energy security, and cooperation with partner countries is "crucial for a secure energy sector," she said.
Radio Free Europe attempted several times to contact the minister and her team for more information regarding this issue, but received no response.
The Transatlantic Gas Security Summit is an American initiative that aims to strengthen cooperation between Eastern European and Western Balkan countries for more secure gas supplies, expansion of energy infrastructure, and reduction of dependence on Russian gas.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia were recently included in this platform, joining a group of more than ten countries seeking new supply alternatives.
Its importance grew especially after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, making energy security a strategic priority for many countries on the continent.
Many countries in Southeast Europe are currently supplied with Russian gas through the Turkish Stream pipeline, which runs through the Black Sea, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Serbia to Hungary.
The US aims to increase its presence in the European gas market through the so-called Vertical Corridor, by using or expanding existing energy infrastructure in the region.
But, for Kosovo, inclusion in this network seems to remain a more distant prospect.
Without gas network and without infrastructure
Kosovo currently does not have a pipeline network for the distribution of natural gas nor a built-in institutional system for the management of this sector.
Unlike most countries in the region, it is not connected to any international gas network.
Admir Shala, development manager at the energy company "Codema" in Dublin, Ireland, estimates for Radio Free Europe that the construction of such infrastructure in the medium term is difficult to achieve.
According to him, to begin supplying natural gas, Kosovo must build a complete system – from physical infrastructure to regulatory institutions.
"The Energy Strategy 2022-2031 only mentions the drafting of a master plan for gas, but without concrete decisions for its implementation," says Shala.
But Burim Ejupi from the Institute for Development Policy - INDEP - in Pristina thinks differently, who sees Minister Rizvanolli's statement as a positive signal.
"The gas infrastructure is limited, but the minister's words give us hope that the government is returning to gas and the gas project," Ejupi tells Radio Free Europe.
According to him, natural gas can serve as an energy transition source, helping Kosovo gradually reduce its dependence on coal and switch to cleaner energy sources.
In European energy strategies, gas is often considered a "transition fuel," which can temporarily replace coal until production from renewable sources, such as solar and wind power, increases.
How much gas does Kosovo currently use?
Although there is no gas pipeline network, natural gas is used in Kosovo in other forms.
It is mainly imported in cylinders or tankers and is used in the gastronomy sector, for heating some homes and to a lesser extent as fuel for vehicles.
These forms of gas are usually liquefied petroleum gas, which is not connected to large energy supply networks.
According to Kosovo Customs data, provided by Radio Free Europe, last year the value of imported gas reached over 19 million euros.
Around 2.5 million euros of gas were imported from the United States of America, over two million euros from Saudi Arabia, while the rest came from countries such as Kuwait, Algeria and several European countries.
What does the Energy Strategy foresee?
Kosovo's Energy Strategy for the period 2022-2031 foresees the possibility for the country to connect to regional gas networks in the future.
Kosovo is a landlocked country – which makes it even more difficult to build gas infrastructure without cooperation with neighboring countries.
One of the options is to connect to planned infrastructure in Albania or Greece, particularly through the TAP gas pipeline, or through the liquefied gas terminal in Vlora.
However, according to this document, the construction of such an interconnection could take seven to nine years.
An interconnection is a transmission line that connects the gas systems of two countries and enables the transport of gas between them.
Interrupted projects and missed opportunities
The debate about gas in Kosovo is not new.
In 2021, Kosovo, led by Prime Minister Albin Kurti, decided to suspend an American project to build gas infrastructure, arguing that the cost was too high and that the project was not economically advantageous.
At that time, the American corporation Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) offered a grant of up to $200 million for the development of this infrastructure.
Kosovo's decision was criticized by some energy experts, who argued that the project could be the first step towards Kosovo's integration into the regional gas market.
Also, in 2020, the Government of Kosovo suspended the project for the construction of the "Kosova e Re" thermal power plant - an investment of about 1.3 billion euros.
For this project, an agreement was signed with the American company ContourGlobal in 2017 and it was anticipated that the power plant would enter into operation in 2023.
However, the project was abandoned in 2020, after the company announced that it could not proceed, due to objections from the then Government.
According to Shala, Kosovo has missed several opportunities in the energy sector over the past decades.
"In the first decade of this century, it lost the opportunity to invest in coal-fired capacities; in the second decade, it culminated in the rejection of American gas and lost the opportunity for investment; and in the third decade, it is losing hope, as professional people are leaving Kosovo," says Shala.
However, Ejupi believes that American companies may again show interest in gas projects in Kosovo, given the
t7 live
