Albania dims lights as drought, price spike spark energy crisis
Albania dims lights as drought, price spike spark energy crisis
PRISTINA, March 21 (Reuters) - Albania has ordered all cities to turn off lights in public buildings and on streets when necessary as it tackles an energy crisis caused by drought and power price spikes.
路透普裏什蒂納3月21日電-阿爾巴尼亞已下令所有城市在必要時關閉公共建築和街道上的燈，以應對乾旱和電價飆升造成的能源危機。
The country's state power utility KESH on Sunday halted 11 of 13 electricity turbines at hydropower plants as the scarcity of water forced Albania to import most of its electricity.
該國國家電力公司Kesh週日暫停了水電站13台渦輪機中的11台，原因是缺水迫使阿爾巴尼亞大部分電力進口。
Albania is trying to diversify its energy production by issuing permits to wind and solar companies in order to end its total dependence on hydro. The country of 2.8 million people has no installed electricity generation from fossil fuel.
阿爾巴尼亞正試圖通過向風能和太陽能公司發放許可證來實現能源生產的多元化，以結束其對水電的完全依賴。這個擁有280萬人口的國家沒有安裝化石燃料發電。
But like other European countries, Albania has faced a crisis since last year when prices rose by up to five times.
但與其他歐洲國家一樣，阿爾巴尼亞自去年以來一直面臨着一場危機，當時物價上漲了五倍。
All Albania's domestic electricity generation depends on hydro power and lack of rainfall in recent months and overuse of its water reserves have worsened an already bad situation.
阿爾巴尼亞所有的國內發電都依賴水力發電，近幾個月來降雨不足，過度使用水儲備使本已糟糕的情況雪上加霜。
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has further increased energy prices and the Albanian government in Tirana said that prices may go up to 1,000 euros per MWh.
俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭進一步推高了能源價格，地拉那的阿爾巴尼亞政府表示，價格可能會漲至每兆瓦時1000歐元。
"There will be no rain in the next two weeks and things are only getting worse, that's why we have to rely on imports," Energy Minister Belinda Balluku said on Sunday.
能源部長貝琳達·巴魯庫週日表示：“未來兩週不會有降雨，情況只會越來越糟，這就是我們不得不依賴進口的原因。”
"From today, imports will be higher than domestic production and at this moment we have only two generators that are working at the Drin river cascade," Balluku said in a video message.
巴魯庫在視頻中説：“從今天起，進口將高於國內產量，目前我們只有兩臺發電機在德林河梯級運行。”
KESH said that water reserves in its three water basins on the Drin were only 315 GWh, against 1230 GWh last year.
Kesh表示，其位於DRIN上的三個流域的水資源儲量僅為315GWh，而去年為1230GWh。
A similar situation is reported at other smaller private hydropower plants, which account for around 40% of production.
據報道，其他規模較小的私營水電站也出現了類似的情況，它們的發電量約佔總髮電量的40%。
Albania has refused to raise prices for households and is covering the cost of importing power from the state budget.
阿爾巴尼亞拒絕提高家庭電價，並從國家預算中支付進口電力的成本。
The government has said it will have to inject around 550 million euros ($607 million) in 2022 to cover imported power, but some experts say that may reach up to one billion euros. ($1 = 0.9063 euros)
政府表示，2022年將不得不注入約5.5億歐元(6.07億美元)，以滿足進口電力的需求，但一些專家表示，這一數字可能高達10億歐元。(1美元=0.9063歐元)
(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; Editing by Alexander Smith)
(Fatos Bytyci報道；Alexander Smith編輯)