Nivica canyons in South Albania | Photo: Fation Plaku Photography

Albanian environmentalists say they will stage more protests against a government decision to allow hydropower plants to be built on one of the last “wild” rivers in Europe.

Government ministries, including the Minstry of Culture, have approved the construction of the DRIZA 1 hydropower plant in the Nivica canyon area in southern Albania, despite concerns over the potential archeological and natural consequences.

The “Alliance for River Protection”, an NGO, is set to protest next week in Tirana against the decision.

Experts say the Nivica canyon has significant potential for development of tourism, warning that the whole area should already enjoy protection as an archeological site containing remains from Ancient times.

Lavdosh Ferruni, an environmentalist from River Protection, told BIRN that they will do all they can to save the natural beauty of the Nivica canyon from destruction.

“The benefit to Albania from building a small hydropower plant cannot be compared to the touristic values that these canyons and the whole Kurvelesh area have to offer,” Ferruni said.

Ferruni said he expected the local community in the region to support the protest.

He believes a hydropower plant in the area not only has the potential to damage the archeological sites but will also affect the natural water flow in the Vjosa river and its branches and reservoirs.

“Hydropower in this area can affect the natural flow of the Vjosa, which is considered the last wild river in Europe, weakening its stream and damaging the unique species of fish that this river contains,” Ferruni said.

The European Parliament in its draft resolution on Albania’s progress in 2014 called on Tirana to reconsider plans to construct hydropower plants in the country’s protected areas, especially those affecting the Vjosa river.

The proposed plant in the Nivica canyon is also opposed by the Mayor of Tepelena, Termet Peci, who told BIRN that the project will ruin beauty that nature has created over centuries.

“I’m the representative of the local citizens and if they oppose this project, I’m going to oppose it, too,” he said. “I’m not against hydropower but it has to respect the environment and protected areas.”

Peci, a local representative of the centre-left parties that run the government in Albania, said the hydropower plans conflict with the idea of creating a national park in the area of Benc-Kurvelesh in southern Albania.

“We have created a working group that is preparing the project to create a national park in this area and soon we are going to pass it to the municipal council,” Peci said.