Approval of terms and procedures for the construction of direct lines

Official Bulletin no. 15,dated 2 February 2017

Council of Ministers by decision no. 52 dated 25.1.2017 decided the approval of terms and procedures for the construction of direct lines in the electricity sector.

First, according to the decision any entity registered as a legal person, may apply for the construction of a direct line, on the basis of the principles of non-discrimination, equal treatment and transparency. Direct lines must be owned and / or operated by a legal person, which is legally separate from the Distribution System Operator and / or Transmission System Operator. All costs for the construction, maintenance and operation of a direct line must be borne by the legal person. As regards to the operation of a direct line, there is no need for any license issued by ERE.

Secondly, the decision establishes criteria and procedures for the construction of direct lines in order to ensure power supply within the country. According to the decision, direct lines which are built to connect a domestic producer to a consumer within the country or a supply company that supplies its own premises or its qualified customers, are approved by the Minister of Energy and Industry, after obtaining ERE’s opinion.

Furthermore, the decision determines the necessary documentation that the subject must present when making a request to build an electric line. To assess whether the request of entities meets all requirements and contains the documentation required according to the decision, the Minister approves by order the establishment of an evaluation committee comprised of experts with the necessary technical, economic and legal expertise, employees of the ministry or institutions depending on the Ministry of Energy and Industry. The Committee will examine and evaluate the application within 60 (sixty) days from its submission to the ministry. The date of examination and evaluation of the application shall be the date when the application is deemed complete.

Finally, the decision provides that any person interested to construct a direct line, with the purpose to connect an electricity producer with a client outside the territory of Albania, must submit an application to the ministry. The application must be accompanied by documentation as defined in this decision.