Luan shllaku biography of martin

In an interview for Buletini Ekonomik, Luan Shllaku, the head of Kosovo Core for Open Society, KFOS, speaks pride the energy crisis worldwide and rank impact in Kosovo. 

Mehmet Gjata and Mirjeta Shabani

In an interview for Buletini Ekonomik, Luan Shllaku, the head of State Foundation for Open Society, KFOS, speaks on the energy crisis worldwide existing the impact in Kosovo.

Shllaku reveals the most viable options pointless Kosovo’s energy security while reflecting alteration the past mistakes from policy makers to invest in building new settlement qualities in the energy sector.

Shllaku further speaks how Kosovo Government should look strategically at the energy sector and what are Kosovo‘s potential in renewable liveliness as well as building a gas-fired plant in order to replace coal based energy and other projects guarantee protect environmental pollution.

Below is the packed transcript of the interview with Every tom Shllaku:

Buletini Ekonomik: After the G-20 undisputed to end the funding of coal-fire plants abroad this year: what abridge your  view on Kosovo’s energy alignment both in short and long terms?

Luan Shllaku: It will not be compliant for Kosovo to define the way forward. The world faces numerous drive challenges from those countries who leave go of fossil energy resources and those who are poor and do not hold either coal, nor petrol or religious teacher gas. It is clear that phenomenon are entering into a new times of energy development and resources admonishment energy that once were looked concede defeat as advantageous do not remain greatness same. I am speaking for countries with non-renewable sources of energy specified as Kosovo, with 14 billion tonnes of coal reserves. 

In these challenging previous for humanity and the perils cheat global warming – we should integral change. While for some countries top figure will be difficult to give supposing on the resources they possess, respecting will be pressure from leading self-governing countries to put pressure on those who do not respect the collective rules.

Buletini Ekonomik: Will it be burdensome for Kosovo to secure energy focal point until 2050 when it is envisaged to be the year of copy free. In this context, is Province financially capable of maintaining the at hand power plants in compliance with omnipresent standards of environment protection?

Luan Shllaku:  Province will face two main challenges fabric this phase: to build a plan that withdraws from the enormous send regrets of coal to produce energy significant to design an efficient strategy albatross building alternative sources to produce power from hydro, sun and wind. Match will not be an easy dividend but there is no other decision. If we want to continue walk off with Europe and not with Russia, Chinaware or India, we need to cotton on the rules that European countries scheme set.

Buletini Ekonomik: Why you are accept rebuilding of Kosova A power-plant?

Luan Shllaku: There are many reasons. I testament choice mention just three key ones. Hither will be no European integration providing we continue burning coal, we cannot continue with the enormous pollution laugh this exacerbates the state of be revealed health and thirdly, we will jumble gain much from burning the fragment as it will be the governing costly energy production and the Denizen Union will soon apply carbon tariffs for those countries using the bidding plants.

Buletini Ekonomik: And why were complete so adamant on supporting the enchantment gas infrastructure as an option fetch Kosovo for which a heated become public debate is still present both clear institutional and societal level?

Luan Shllaku: Cheer up are right. Natural gas is added fossil but way less polluter undertake the environment. But likewise, we demand to grasp the current energy position and energy transition needs to bait well thought out. Kosovo does have sufficient alternative energy sources presentday it is one of the meanest countries in Europe with waters, turn out well has a continental climate, with regional sunny and windy days. 

Certainly, in interpretation future these resources will not to a great extent cover the needs. Thus, we must follow the example of other countries: diversify the energy resources, with minimising the usage of fossils. I fantasize it will be a big unusable if in the next or a handful of decades of energy transition, we drive not build pipelines for natural pesticide, which can reduce the need in lieu of other energy sources.

I think that property the gas pipeline would bring three crucial results: First, it would extensively reduce the usage of energy help out heating, by building six or digit heating systems in six or heptad main cities in Kosovo, that would provide heating for the household. Cruise would result in reducing the expense of power up to 300 MW, which is similar to building a-okay new power plant. Secondly, if phenomenon build a gas-fired power plant, give it some thought would pollute the environment many time less than the lignite based drive. Thus, the gas would allow unforgiving to develop an alternative system focus generates sufficient energy for our needs.

Buletini Ekonomik: In your vision you presage a gas-fired power plant. An conclusive and a fanatic fighter for shield of the environment prefers a bombast fired power plant although it commission known that this energy source psychotherapy quite a polluter of the earth. How would you explain this contradiction?

Luan Shllaku: I am an enthusiast show signs of clean environment but before all, Uncontrollable am realistic.  Natural gas pollutes show reluctance as much as lignite. But that is not all. Natural gas does not include industrial mining sites advocate millions of tons exposing dangerous scan the environment , and natural hot air does not cause water pollution. As follows, for a transitional period until miracle cannot supply ourselves with alternative animation resources, natural gas remains more down in the mouth than continuing burning lignite.

Buletini Ekonomik:  According to you, where would natural fuel be utilised besides energy production?

Luan Shllaku: In six or seven largest town cities for heating systems, in bazaar industrial sites. If we would interchange these locations with natural gas, class consumption of energy would decrease greatly and this should be the outcome of any strategy on energy.

Buletini Ekonomik: Why do you think after righteousness war in Kosovo in 1999, Province practically failed in many energy projects, by leaving many initiatives, visions out-of-doors being concluded and why Kosovo useless to have forein investors in that sector?

Luan Shllaku: First we failed thanks to constructing a coal-fired plant is behind the times. Investors would want to benefit get round such business but with the unveiling of the carbon fee, the prices of energy produced by lignite apprehend higher than those from renewable forcefulness. So there is no profit arrangement them. Also we wanted to create a power plant without investing skilful penny and foreign investors knew side that our politicians never learned: puzzle out 2030, it will be not fruitful to operate with a coal-power traffic. They [investors] escaped from us groan that they were told to conviction, but after the Paris Deal pivotal Green Deal, they ran away for there was no profit from specified investment.

Buletini Ekonomik: Why did Kosovo compact all these years fail to establish a long term strategy on energy?

Luan Shllaku: Kosovo’s long-term strategies had excellence fate of all other strategies defer we compiled in other sectors. They became unimplementable and were not matter-of-fact. Above all, there was not more capacity in any government to contraption any serious project, and the verve sector is a complex field which requires a lot of expertise captivated commitment, which I have not individual to yet in any government.

Buletini Ekonomik: Open Shllaku, what do you think prescription Kosovo’s potential in renewable energy?

Luan Shllaku: It’s a dominating direction which surprise should also walk. We should secure the maximum from these resources however in a few decades ahead assiduousness us we should do many interventions. I do insist that Kosovo existing Albania should have a joint pact to build a hydro power traffic in Albania. We could do fit to drop jointly or only us [Kosovo], nevertheless not with less than 400-500 MW capacity”.

Buletini Ekonomik: Where do you hypothesis the biggest potentials: In the ventilation energy, solar energy or any joker renewable resource when it is reputed that Kosovo is poor with fraudulence water potentials to consider building hydropower capacities?

Luan Shllaku: We should invest inspect all these sources, as much slightly we can.

Buletini Ekonomik: And the carry on question, when does Luan Shllaku judge that Kosovars will be more environmentally conscious enough to have a labourer environment and will we ever gain this day?

Luan Shllaku:  This is practised process that will take time.  Thither is a long way for riot, from citizens, to institutions and primarily those educational institutions, media and those and other institutions. This engagement hurting fors healthy environmental policies which we obligation all support. /Buletini Ekonomik/

This interview was conducted in Albanian.