France’s Voltalia SA (EPA:VLTSA) has completed the construction of its 140-MW Karavasta solar park in Albania and is ready to start generating power, the renewable power plants operator said on Tuesday.
Electricity production from what is the largest photovoltaic (PV) park in Albania and in the Western Balkans is due to be launched in the coming weeks.
Located in the Fier area of southwestern Albania, the Karavasta plant was built across over about 200 hectares of land and is expected to have an output that will be enough to cover the annual consumption of around 220,000 residents. The generation will help offset more than 29,160 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually.
Karavasta was among the winners in Albania’s first EBRD-backed solar power auction, securing a 15-year contract for roughly half of its output. The remaining electricity will be sold under long-term contracts to private operators.
Construction works on the project were initiated in July 2022. Once fully energised, the PV park will support Albania’s goal for achieving a 54.4% renewables share it in gross energy consumption by the end of the decade.
