Statkraft Albania has entered into an agreement with Norwegian floating solar technology developer Ocean Sun AS, for the delivery of a floating solar plant at the Banja reservoir.
The solar plant will have a maximum capacity of 2 MW, with 4 floating units of 0.5 MW each. The total investment cost is EUR 2.3 million. The contract is the first major commercial contract for Ocean Sun’s floating solar technology and the project will demonstrate the viability of the technology developed based on competence from Norwegian solar PV and maritime industry.
– The agreement is of great value to us, showing that Statkraft has confidence in our technology and is willing to apply the solutions in a larger scope, says Børge Bjørneklett, chairman and CTO of Ocean Sun.
He is positive that this first commercial contract will be of importance for speeding up the development and execution of further agreements.
– We are keen to take care of the projects we have so far. But also, if the overall experience and results of the Banja-project are positive for Statkraft, we believe they have several other reservoirs that would mean new possibilities for our technology. Floating PV is a new technology, and we fully understand that the customers are eager to try it out, and gather experience, before investing in larger projects with tens of megawatts, says Bjørneklett.
In December 2018, Statkraft Albania received a preliminary authorization from the Government of Albania for the implementation of a floating solar plant at Banja with a feed-in-tariff. Subject to final regulatory approvals, the solar plant will be constructed during 2019/2020.
