Albania with a nuclear plant

Tirana, 12 November 2007 (AENews) - The international media have paid particular attention to the statement of the Albanian Prime Minister that the government was looking into the possibilities to build a nuclear plant that would provide electricity to Albania and others. The Italian newspapers in particular, focusing on the Italian-Albanian relations, note that Albania would invest about 3 billion Euro on the project and that on 3 December the Italian Prime Minister would visit Tirana.

Corriere della Sera quotes Berisha as saying “Albania could become a small energy super-power for the region.” The Prime Minister has made public the contacts that the government has already established with the American company Westinghouse. The Guardian, Il Sole 24 and La Stampa also dedicated stories to the initiative. Some newspapers – referring to the story carried on by the Guardian - have commented on the Sunday editions that the idea has been received with enthusiasm by Italy but not so by Greece, speculating that the latter might lose some of the benefits it secures at the moment by selling electricity to the countries in the region.

Prime Minister Sali Berisha defended yesterday his idea of a nuclear energy plant in Albania arguing that it would be unforgivable that the country denied this power source. He said that if such a plant was built, Albania would not only fulfil its needs for energy, but also export it to other countries in the region, such as the Southern Italy. However, Berisha said that the country is not currently ready for the nuclear plant, because it lacks the necessary international and local legislation. He criticized the opposition for opposing the idea of a civil nuclear plant. (AE)