Energy Regulatory Office

Secondly, the Kosovo authorities will have access to the Valac/Vallaq substation, an important part of the country's power grid that is located in a Serb-majority municipality, and other energy infrastructure that Pristina was not able to access previously.

Serbs to pay bills to Serbian company

The Basic Prosecution in Peja/ Pec on Friday said that it had filed a lawsuit against Kelkos Energy, the Austrian company operating hydropower plants in Decan/ Glogovac, in the district of Gjakova/ Djakovica, for damages caused by the plant pipeline. The prosecution said Kelkos Energy had caused "general danger". 

While the rules in Kosovo stipulate that no single investor can produce more than three megawatts of solar energy, BIRN can reveal that one man - Blerim Devolli - stands behind six companies awarded rights to produce a combined 16.7 MW, more than half of Kosovo's total solar power production.

Guri Shkodra, a spokesperson for the energy supply company, KEDS, said Kosovo is facing an energy crisis this winter as a result of June's incident in the Kosovo A power plant.

A petition opposing planned hikes in the price of energy has already gained 30,000 signatures, according to a press release circulated by its organizers.

Consumers in Kosovo will have to pay more for their electricity if the recommendations for a price increase taken by the Energy Regulatory Office are approved. 

The authorities say the increase is needed to compensate for the damage caused by an explosion that took place on June 6 at the “Kosovo A” power plant in Obiliq.