A concession kept hidden for many years may endanger one of Albania’s best tourist attractions, the Osum Canyons.
Top Channel published exclusive documents showing that the government has approved the building of two hydropower plants, which, according to experts would have destructive consequences for the environment.
The project was started in 2013. One week before the Berisha government left power, they approved the concessionary agreement for building two hydropower plants in Bigas and Veleshnje.
The project was interrupted by Rama, who considered it crazy to build hydropower plants without any criteria, especially in the protected areas. He even accused his predecessor Sali Berisha of corruption. However, most of the concessions were approved later, even the ones that the government had vouched to cancel.
On May 2016, the Ministry of Energy approved a new contract behind closed doors, although there has been opposition from within the government and from other state authorities.
On March 2017, President Meta, then Speaker, asked PM Rama and the Ministers of Energy and Environment to stop the project, but the government did not withdraw.
The Osum River canyons are not only a special attraction but also have generated economic revenues for local residents.
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