Company and Institutions fail to attend public hearing They Announced Themselves
September 13, 2024, Guri i Bardhë, Klos – Residents of Guri i Bardhë village and activists gathered yesterday near the Administrative Unit of Xibër to attend a public hearing announced by the company “Geoalb Energy,” which plans to build two small hydropower plants (2MW) on the village’s river. Despite the public announcement for this hearing being posted on the official website of the National Environment Agency, none of the company’s representatives or relevant institutions appeared at the hearing.
Although the residents had very little time to organize, they successfully rallied to voice their opposition to these projects, which they believe would be destructive to the local environment and the still undeveloped potential for ecotourism. “We don’t need hydropower plants; we need other investments. We don’t want our nature to be destroyed. We don’t want to be cursed by future generations for not preserving this place,” said Resul Baleta, a resident of Guri i Bardhë and one of the pioneers of ecotourism in the village.
Plans for the construction of the Guri i Bardhë 1 and Guri i Bardhë 2 hydropower plants began in 2020, when the same company applied for an environmental permit from the National Environment Agency, which subsequently issued a negative Environmental Statement in 2021. Three years after the permit was denied, the company has re-applied for a permit from the National Environment Agency.
“The area where the two hydropower plants are planned to be built is within the Natural Park of Mali me Gropa – Bizë – Martanesh – an untouched area with a magnificent landscape. In support of the affected residents, we are committed to pursuing this process through institutional channels and beyond,” said Olsi Nika from EcoAlbania.
Residents have opposed the plans to build hydropower plants in Guri i Bardhë village from the start, and it seems their battle is not over, as this news has alarmed them. Meanwhile, they have begun investing in the development of tourism in the area.
