Karavasta PV park: KESH purchase deal with Voltalia (opposition MP allegation, June 2026)
Status: Political allegation; no official response reported; no SPAK referral mentioned in the source.
Summary
Opposition MP Enno Bozdo issued a written statement on 26 June 2026 alleging that the Karavasta photovoltaic park (140 MW, tender won by Voltalia in May 2020) was illegally favoured. According to the statement as reported by Balkanweb, the tender required the state to buy only 50 percent of output (about 70 MW) at 24.89 EUR per MWh, with the rest sold on the free market. In July 2022, the statement says, KESH signed a new deal taking the whole 140 MW output at regulated prices, bypassing the competitive procedure and the free-market supplier channel, and extending guaranteed purchases by 27 months without a new competition. The statement says the other half of the output cost KESH about 106 EUR per MWh and that four other bidders, including two German consortia, were disqualified. Bozdo estimates a state loss of about 6.5 million EUR in 2024 alone and up to about 100 million EUR over the contract, which the article's headline uses. These are his estimates. The article reports that he sent an information request about a month before and got no answer within the two-week legal deadline.
Key facts
- Karavasta tender won by Voltalia, 27 May 2020 (according to a secondary report citing Voltalia-linked reporting).
- Per the MP's statement: 50 percent of output at 24.89 EUR per MWh under the tender; July 2022 KESH deal for full output (regulated price), extension by 27 months.
- Statement estimates a state loss of about 6.5 million EUR for 2024 and up to about 100 million EUR over about 17 years.
- No government, KESH or Voltalia response reported in the article.
- Article says the statement was inspired by the investigative show Plug (named in the article; not confirmed in the original source).
The record
Four lists kept apart on purpose: what is established, what is only alleged, what is still open, and what those concerned said.
What is proven (2)
Established by documents or official records, as stated in the research. A recorded charge or indictment proves only that the accusation was made.
- The Karavasta tender was won by Voltalia in May 2020 (multiple sources).
- The plant was reported as fully built and operational around late 2023 to 2024 (Voltalia-linked and trade press excerpts).
What is alleged (2)
Accusations, not findings. Those accused are presumed innocent.
- AllegationThat the July 2022 KESH agreement for full output at regulated prices was a non-competitive favour.
- AllegationThat the state loses about 6.5 million EUR per year and up to about 100 million EUR over the contract term (MP estimate).
Allegations and who made them (2)
Each line is an allegation as recorded, with the person or body that made it where the record names them.
- AllegationOpposition MP Enno Bozdo alleges that KESH and the government illegally favoured Voltalia in the Karavasta project (Balkanweb, 26 June 2026).
- AllegationBozdo alleges that the July 2022 KESH deal bypassed competition and the free-market supplier channel.
Open questions (4)
- The July 2022 KESH contract text, its approval decision and the minister in office at the time.
- Whether the 2020 tender documents show the 50 percent split and bidder disqualifications the MP describes.
- Whether the Plug programme or any NGO filed a complaint with SPAK or the Public Procurement Commission (KPP).
- Whether the ministry or KESH answered the information request.
Responses (1)
Responses of the people and organisations concerned, as recorded.
- No response from the government, KESH or Voltalia reported in the Balkanweb article of 26 June 2026.
Figures
Money trail →Karavasta: alleged state loss for 2024 (MP estimate)
€6,500,000
Stated definition: MP Enno Bozdo's estimate as reported by Balkanweb; not verified
Date: 2024 · Payer: KESH (alleged) · Payee: Voltalia (alleged beneficiary)
- Balkanweb (EN) Karavasta (opens in a new tab)Balkanweb · 26 Jun 2026 · journalism · EN
Karavasta: alleged loss over full contract (MP estimate, about 17 years)
€100,000,000
Stated definition: Estimate by MP; headline figure; not verified
Date: 2022-2039 · Payer: KESH (alleged) · Payee: Voltalia (alleged beneficiary)
- Balkanweb (EN) Karavasta (opens in a new tab)Balkanweb · 26 Jun 2026 · journalism · EN
Karavasta: tender tariff 24.89 EUR per MWh for 50 percent of output (as alleged); other half reportedly about 106 EUR per MWh
No amount recorded
contractSource label: UnverifiedStated definition: Per MWh price, not a total; from MP statement
Date: May 2020 · Payer: KESH · Payee: Voltalia
- Balkanweb (EN) Karavasta (opens in a new tab)Balkanweb · 26 Jun 2026 · journalism · EN
Timeline
Full timeline →Parliament
Karavasta: Bozdo's allegations confirmed as published by Balkanweb (allegations only)
Balkanweb (26 Jun 2026) confirms the written statement by MP Enno Bozdo: the tender allowed the state to buy only 50% of output (70 MW) at 24.89 EUR/MWh; KESH allegedly agreed in July 2022 to buy the full output; 27 extra months of guaranteed purchases without new competition; about 6.5 million EUR damage in 2024 alone; four bidders disqualified. These are the MP's allegations, not findings.
Other
Opposition MP Enno Bozdo alleges Karavasta PV deal favoured Voltalia; 6.5 million EUR loss in 2024
Written statement; no response from ministry, KESH or Voltalia reported; no SPAK referral mentioned.
Other
Bozdo statement of 26 June 2026 confirmed; no official reply reported
Balkanweb confirms the statement dated 26 Jun 2026. Bozdo says an information request sent about a month earlier got no reply from the Energy Ministry or KESH, past the two-week legal deadline. The article reports no response from Voltalia and no SPAK referral.
Hypotheses
Possible explanations that connect this record with other findings. They are not findings; each lists the evidence for and against.
- Source label: Unverified
'Strategic investment' status works as a bypass around protected areas and normal procurement
The status, granted by a government committee, appears in the most contested land and coastal files: Sazan and Zvërnec, the Himarë resort linked to former minister Olta Xhaçka's family, the Durrës marina and the Karavasta area. It speeds up permits and can override ordinary zoning. Where the same files also show protected-area changes, land seizures or SPAK investigations, the status may be the tool that made them possible.
Evidence for
- Sazan received strategic status for ten years under a special procedure (decision no. 23 of 30 December 2024); a 2026 draft decision would have moved over 90% of the island (BIRN), which the government says was not adopted.
- SPAK's money-laundering probe into Olta Xhaçka reportedly runs through a Himarë resort granted strategic status in 2021 (Exit, October 2026).
- SPAK froze about 110 million euro and issued warrants for 20 people in the Zvërnec land file (June 2026 case files).
- NGOs report strategic status for 45 hectares inside the Karaburun–Sazan marine national park.
Evidence against
- The status is legal and has also been given to projects without any allegation.
- The government says no Sazan construction permit has been issued and denies privatising the island.
- Reuters reports no allegation against Jared Kushner in the Zvërnec file.
- In the Channel 5 interview with Andrew Callaghan (released 2 November 2026) Rama said there was no accelerated approval and no concluded agreement for Sazan, and that the island remains public land.
- Source label: Unverified
Strategic investment status as a shield from procurement and tax rules (Durrës, Sazan, Karavasta)
Three energy and state-land projects show a similar structure: a state-linked status or a special law removes the normal competition or tax burden, while the state-side contribution is large and disputed. If linked to the same decision-makers, this would connect the Durrës marina (Law 79/2022, strategic status 2021), the Sazan resort (decision no. 23, 30.12.2024) and the Karavasta 2022 KESH deal to one approach by the same governing majority. The Balluku file (existing case-balluku-kesh-energy-allegations) covers the energy-ministry side.
Evidence for
- Balkanweb 2026: Durrës state contribution about 299.75m EUR; tax exemption in the 2022 law (OFFICIALLY_REPORTED for the law, UNDER_INVESTIGATION for the figures).
- AIDA April 2026 document: Sazan status under a special procedure for 10 years (OFFICIALLY_REPORTED).
- Bozdo 2026: Karavasta July 2022 deal bypassed competition and the free-market channel (UNVERIFIED).
Evidence against
- The Constitutional Court rejected the challenge to the Durrës law in February 2025 (VERIFIED).
- The Karavasta tender in 2020 was competitive per reporting; the alleged irregularity is the 2022 extension.
- No SPAK file on Durrës or Sazan found in this round; no shared decision-maker is confirmed in these sources.
- Investment Council data show many applications refused (30 of 108 per an undated article).
Sources for this record
Every source the research cites for this record, grouped by its source label. 2 sources.
Source label: Under investigationUnder investigation · 2 sources
- Publisher
- Balkanweb
- Date
- 26 Jun 2026
- Publisher
- PV Tech
- Date
- 2024