Albania increased electricity imports in the second quarter of 2025 as weaker hydro generation cut domestic output, statistics office data showed on August 27.

Hydropower typically supplies nearly all of Albania’s electricity, leaving the Balkan country highly exposed to rainfall fluctuations. The government has been seeking to diversify its energy mix, encouraging investment in solar and wind projects and signing new concession deals with independent producers.

Gross imports, including power exchanges, rose 16.5% year-on-year to 725 gigawatt hours (GWh), while exports fell 4.1% to 638 GWh, according to the statistics office. That left the country with a negative electricity exchange balance of 88 GWh.

Net domestic production dropped 4.6% to 1,757 GWh compared with 1,841 GWh a year earlier. Public hydro plants, which account for much of Albania’s generation, produced 704 GWh, down 14.3% from the same period of 2024. Output from independent and concession power producers slid 14.6% to 765 GWh.

By contrast, other producers – mainly smaller renewable projects – more than doubled their contribution, generating 228 GWh versus 125 GWh a year ago.

Available electricity in the quarter rose 2.5% year-on-year, reflecting higher imports, while electrical losses edged down 1% to 320 GWh. Losses accounted for 17.3% of available energy, compared with 18.0% in the same quarter of 2024.

Consumption rose 3.3% to 1,525 GWh, driven by households, whose demand surged 10.2%. Consumption by businesses and other non-household users fell 3%.