In a time when the colonized world, ruled by one superpower, is more united than ever – upon the wrong reasons though, yet divided as ever, when the sponsored terrorism and wars – fake or real – are the new gladiatorial games of the Empire, when political deception and lack of transparency have rendered the human society confused and lost and misguided, when Newspeak is the official language of the Empire’s propaganda which uses the bogus free speech as the most effective technique of killing free voices and maintaining an unprecedented censorship in academia, science, education and in the circles of the religious people, when technology has advanced amazingly, the political discourse is dominated by one subject matter: energy. Indeed, it is energy the problem that our governments are grappling with.
In this regard, Albania is probably a unique country in Europe. It is rich in water resources, and its mountainous terrain is very convenient and useful for hydropower, perhaps capable of producing enormous amount of renewable energy – much, much more than the domestic demand and the official numbers. Currently, Albania has three gigantic hydropower plants built on the cascade of the River Drin – Fierza, Koman, and Vau i Dejës, and the fourth one, i.e. Skavica, is proposed, which is to be built by an American company. Apart from these, there is a long list of small hydro plants.
At the same time, the sector of energy is the most questionable and non-transparent one in Albania. While the official numbers are not to be taken seriously, it would be sufficient to use some indirect methods to realize what’s going on. For example, in 1990s, when the heart of hydropower – Kukes, was supplied with electricity a few hours a day, the domestic consumption was much lower than now, yet production was the same.
The question which begs itself is, where did the rest of energy production go?
In 2015, Nderim Lushi organized a petition signed by thousands of citizens from Kukes, Albania, addressing exactly the issue of energy. Then he organized four rallies when he was eventually arrested and faced criminal charges.
Albanians now have to raise some serious questions:
– How much energy does Albania actually produce?
– What is its real and potential capacity?
– Has Albania been exporting energy to Europe for decades?
– Who controls Albania’s energy: the US Government?
– How come that when the regime of Enver Hoxha in 1990 fell, the US Government allowed, or perhaps ordered, the destruction of all sectors of Albania’s industry except hydropower plants?
– When Nderim Lushi organized protests addressing the corruption in the sector of hydropower, why was the alarm raised in Washington DC?
– Is the US selling Albania’s energy to Europe while Albanians, such as Nderim Lushi, are punished to remain unemployed and isolated?
As an Albanian, I demand some answers.
Sabri Lushi
