Albanian Power Corporation
Albania's state-owned electricity producer and operator of the country's principal hydropower assets.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
2requests
1companies- Anthropic2
- Profile
- 2
- Controversies
- 0
- JSON · MD
- 0
- First read
- Nov 4, 2026
- Latest read
- Nov 4, 2026
From this site's server log
Overview
Albanian Power Corporation, commonly known by its Albanian acronym KESH, is Albania's public electricity-generation company and the country's largest electricity producer. It is a vertically integrated state-owned commercial company whose modern corporate form developed from the state electricity administration created during Albania's postwar industrialization. KESH's principal role today is the production and wholesale trading of electricity, together with the operation, maintenance, and technical safeguarding of major generation and hydrotechnical assets. The company's most important assets are the Fierza, Koman, and Vau i Deja hydropower plants on the Drin River cascade. These facilities form Albania's central electricity-generation complex and are among the most significant hydropower works in the Balkans. The three plants have a combined installed capacity of approximately 1,350 megawatts according to the cited Wikipedia account, while company reference material describes the broader Drin complex, including assets outside KESH's direct administration, as having capacity of roughly 1,400 megawatts. KESH also has responsibility for the 98-megawatt Vlora thermal power plant through its wholly owned subsidiary TEC Vlora sh.a., although the practical operating status and current utilization of that facility require verification from current company records. Hydropower production makes KESH highly significant to Albania's electricity security. The company is described as controlling approximately 79 percent of national generation capacity and supplying roughly 70–75 percent of the electricity demand of tariff customers in the cited reference material. Output varies substantially with rainfall, reservoir levels, and other hydrometeorological conditions. The Drin cascade is therefore both an electricity asset and a water-management system: its reservoirs help regulate downstream flows and reduce flood risks, while also supporting local economic activities such as transport, fishing, and tourism. KESH's institutional boundaries have changed repeatedly as Albania aligned its electricity legislation with European Union energy-market principles. The predecessor electricity administration originally combined generation, transmission, distribution, retail supply, and cross-border exchange. In 1992 it was transformed into the Albanian Power Corporation, and in 1995 the company became a joint-stock entity whose shares were retained entirely by the state. Subsequent reforms separated transmission into the Transmission System Operator, OST, and distribution and retail activities into the Distribution System Operator, now associated with OSHEE. KESH was removed from transmission responsibilities in 2004 and from distribution and retail functions in 2007. It later carried out production, public wholesale supply, and trading, before its public wholesale function was separated in 2016. The company remains strategically important because Albania's generation portfolio is dominated by hydropower and is consequently exposed to water availability and regional electricity-market conditions. Besides producing energy, KESH provides balancing energy and auxiliary services needed for the stability of the national electricity system. It also administers and maintains the safety of the energy and hydrotechnical works under its control. KESH is not a consumer-facing retail brand in the usual sense; its importance lies in public infrastructure, wholesale electricity, system security, and the management of nationally strategic generation assets. The company is represented by an administrator and overseen by a supervisory council appointed by the sole shareholder, the Albanian state.
History
The institutional origins of Albania's modern electricity system extend to 1957, when the General Directorate of Electric Power Plants was established as the country's central electricity entity. That body combined electricity generation, transmission, distribution, consumer supply, and exchanges with neighboring countries. In 1992 it was reorganized as the Albanian Power Corporation, known by the Albanian acronym KESH. The company adopted a joint-stock structure in 1995, with all shares remaining in state ownership. KESH initially operated as a vertically integrated electricity enterprise. Albania's subsequent legal and regulatory reforms, particularly those intended to align the electricity sector with European Union rules, progressively divided the company's functions. The 2001 KESH statute established the basis for separating transmission and distribution from the generation business. Transmission responsibilities were removed from KESH in 2004 with the creation of the Transmission System Operator, OST. Distribution and retail-supply responsibilities were separated in 2007 through the creation of a distribution-system operator. These changes narrowed KESH's role toward generation, electricity trading, and the management of strategic power infrastructure. During 2015, KESH's activities included electricity production, public wholesale supply, and trading. In 2016, the company was relieved of its public wholesale function and focused more specifically on electricity production and trading, as well as the maintenance and development of the works under its administration. The company remained wholly owned by the Albanian state and continued to function as a central institution in the country's electricity-security framework. KESH's principal generation assets are located in the Drin River basin. The Vau i Deja plant began operating in 1971 with reported installed capacity of 250 megawatts. Fierza entered service in 1978 with four 125-megawatt units, giving it a reported capacity of 500 megawatts. Koman was commissioned in 1985 with four 150-megawatt units and reported capacity of 600 megawatts. Together, Fierza, Koman, and Vau i Deja form the core Drin cascade administered by KESH, with combined installed capacity of approximately 1,350 megawatts. The broader Drin complex is sometimes described as including the Ashta hydropower plant, although the cited material distinguishes that asset from the three principal plants under KESH administration. The cascade is important beyond its generating role. Reservoir management helps control water flows and reduce downstream flood exposure, while the lakes and associated infrastructure support local transport, fishing, and tourism. Because Albania relies heavily on hydropower, KESH's output varies with precipitation and reservoir conditions. The company consequently supports system reliability not only by generating electricity but also by supplying balancing energy and auxiliary services to the transmission system. KESH also controls the shares of TEC Vlora sh.a., associated with the 98-megawatt Vlora thermal power plant. Its governance structure consists of a general assembly exercising the rights of the sole state shareholder, a supervisory council appointed for fixed terms, and an administrator who acts as the executive representative of the company. Current leadership details and the operating status of individual facilities should be checked against the latest official Albanian records because public summaries may not reflect later changes.
- 2016
Focus narrowed to generation and trading
[1]KESH was relieved of its public wholesale function and concentrated on electricity generation, trading, and the maintenance and development of its infrastructure.
- 2007
Distribution and retail functions separated
[1]Distribution and retail supply were removed from KESH and assigned to a separate distribution-system operator.
- 2004
Transmission function transferred to OST
[1]KESH ceased performing the transmission function, which was assigned to the newly created Transmission System Operator.
- 2001
Statutory separation of electricity functions begins
[1]The new KESH statute supported the separation of transmission and distribution from the generation company in accordance with energy-sector reforms.
- 1995
Conversion into a state-owned joint-stock company
[1]KESH adopted a joint-stock-company structure while all shares remained owned by the Albanian state.
- 1992
Formation of Albanian Power Corporation
[1]The predecessor state electricity administration was transformed into the Albanian Power Corporation, known as KESH.
- 1985
Koman hydropower plant begins operation
[1]Koman entered service with four 150-megawatt units, completing the principal three-plant generation cascade administered by KESH.
- 1978
Fierza hydropower plant begins operation
[1]Fierza was commissioned with four 125-megawatt generating units and became a major component of the Drin cascade.
- 1971
Vau i Deja hydropower plant begins operation
[1]The Vau i Deja plant entered service on the Drin system with reported installed capacity of 250 megawatts.
- 1957
Creation of the General Directorate of Electric Power Plants
[1]The predecessor institution was established as Albania's centralized electricity body, combining generation, transmission, distribution, consumer supply, and electricity exchanges.
Products and positioning
State-owned national electricity producer and strategic hydropower-asset operator
Hydroelectricity
Drin Cascade hydropower generation
KESH's core generation business is centered on the Fierza, Koman, and Vau i Deja hydropower plants on the Drin River. Together they have reported installed capacity of approximately 1,350 megawatts and form Albania's most important electricity-generating complex. The reservoirs also support water-flow regulation and related local economic activity. Generation varies according to rainfall, inflows, and reservoir conditions.
Wholesale electricity services
Electricity trading and balancing services
Following the separation of transmission, distribution, and public-wholesale functions, KESH's commercial role has focused on electricity production and trading. It also supplies balancing energy and auxiliary services that help maintain the stability and security of Albania's electricity system.
Thermal electricity
TEC Vlora thermal generation
KESH controls 100 percent of TEC Vlora sh.a., associated with the 98-megawatt Vlora thermal power plant. The plant is part of KESH's wider generation portfolio, although current operating conditions and utilization are not established by the available reference material.
Brand decisions
2016
Withdrawal from the public wholesale functionStrategyBackground
Further electricity-sector restructuring changed the allocation of public-supply responsibilities.
Action taken
KESH was relieved of its public wholesale function and concentrated on generation, trading, and infrastructure maintenance and development.
Aftermath
The company became more clearly positioned as Albania's strategic generation and wholesale-trading enterprise.
2001
Adoption of a function-separation frameworkStrategyBackground
Albania's electricity legislation was being aligned with European Union energy-market principles.
Action taken
KESH's statutory framework provided for the separation of generation from transmission and distribution.
Aftermath
The reform led to the later creation of separate transmission and distribution operators and narrowed KESH's institutional remit.
1992
Transformation into KESHStrategyBackground
Albania reorganized its centralized electricity administration during a period of institutional and economic transition.
Action taken
The predecessor body was transformed into the Albanian Power Corporation, establishing the modern KESH corporate identity.
Aftermath
KESH became the principal state electricity company and later evolved from an integrated utility into a generation-focused enterprise.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/albanian-power-corporation · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled