Kosovo’s Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, has revealed a shortlist of six bidders for the construction of a 100 MW solar plant in the town of Rahovec.

The six bids include two consortia from Turkey. One of the groups consists of Calik Group and Limak Holding, and the other is led by construction engineering company Güriş. Germany-based Notus, French renewables developer Akuo Energy, Egypt’s Elsewedy Electric and a Swiss-Kosovan consortium led by Swiss construction group Orllati have also been shortlisted.

Rizvanolli said Kosovo is “committed to a fair and transparent process until the end.”

A tender for the construction of the plant was launched in July 2023. It is Kosovo’s first solar auction and attracted more than 160 expressions of interest, according to Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

The plant will be built on public land and leased to the successful bidder for up to 30 years, backed by a 15-year PPA with Kostt, the national market operator.

Figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) show that Kosovo had 10 MW of installed PV capacity at the end of 2022.

The country currently has a renewable energy capacity target of an additional 400 MW by 2026, which would be enough to satisfy one-quarter of its power demand.