UNMIK on air
4 February 2004
by Gëzim Kasapolli
Slug:
KEK…
Five
years after armed conflict the Kosovo Electric Company or KEK still remains an
unsolved enigma for many in the region.
Power outages as a result of shortages have become a part of the daily
routine here… and it seems as though change will not come soon enough. The finger of blame is often pointed at KEK
management, but the question that should be answered is: Are there other contributing factors
aggravating the Power Outages?
Hello
and welcome to this edition of UNMIK on Air,
Most
people in Kosovo remember there were fewer problems with electricity outages
before the 1999 conflict and argue that a better management of Kosovo’s
electric company, KEK, would improve the region’s power situation. However, a look into the current electricity
problems in Kosovo shows that the power shortages are not as simple to solve as
a restructuring of KEK’s management may promise…
Before
1999, Kosovo was part of a larger former Yugoslav wide power network, or
grid. The network of power
distribution systems throughout ex-Yugoslavia would compensate for shortages in
various regions around the Balkan Peninsula.
For example: If Kosovo experienced a power generation problem, power
could be tapped from other areas via the power grid, making power outages a
rarity in Kosovo.
Skender
Gjonbalaj works as a dispatcher with KEK:
Usually
people ask is Kosovo A or B out of order, which for me is unnecessary, it is
important to have 24 hours of electricity without restrictions. Usually
citizens ask why before the war Kosovo didn’t have power cuts? That is true.
But it doesn’t mean that in the past there were no falling of Kosovo A or B? It
was even more then now. Statistics
shows that it was more then before the now. However, earlier system was managed
by (EPS) Electro industry of Serbia, but the demand was two or three times
lower then today, so we produced more then Kosovo needed. Serbia got the surplus
(excess) of power it is clear. But they also often cover our lacks of energy.
But
now the situation is different in Kosovo-- as the population has increased,
consumption is now three times greater than before 1999 … and Kosovo’s Electric
Company is unable to single handedly fulfill demand. Even so, physically, KEK’s power generation facility cannot
handle the demand for power successfully—the existing facilities were not
maintained with regular repairs over the past ten years…
…And
as Kosovo is no longer part of a larger power network, there are more outages.
Citizens
are naturally disappointed with the recurring power outages, but according to
KEK dispatcher Gjonbalaj, people here in Kosovo also deserve some of the blame
for shortages, by routinely not paying their monthly bills to the electric
company:
KEK cannot invoice electricity; they do it, but cannot get the money. KEK needs judicial, legal, policy, support, Kosovo institutions needs to support KEK in order to achieve their goals. Simply it is a law. Kosovo doesn’t have a law. The law for energy payments needs to be approved, people have to be responsible for their electricity bills. UNMIK, and the Government are responsible for why law.. If the law approves everything would be regulated, people respond to law, and democratic countries are not strong because they are democratic but because they have strong democratic laws.
Fatime Ahmeti, Head of
Distribution at KEK reiterates that penalizing those who don’t pay their
electricity bills or who steal electricity is a necessary step. But, Ahmeti says the cooperation between KEK
and legal judicial institutions is not satisfactory and tends to cause more
problems for KEK employees.
We have problems with the people who are not allowing us to have access to the electric meter. in cases when they are mis-using electricity, they don’t allow our worker to read the electric meter… but in we often have support from the police. Our workers are often threatened but beside that they do the work, but we are not satisfied with the results. We need the help from the court-to stop the stealing of electricity and to penalize those who steal. That would be my request to Kosovo courts that cases which we send to them to penalize them fairly and as they deserve.
As
power outages are a part of daily life in Kosovo, people here say the situation
is aggravated by the fluctuation between power surges and shortages which often
damage household appliances and office equipment.
The
government of Kosovo has already committed funds to repair some of these
damages, but Fatime acknowledges the sum is not enough. Even so,
Fatime says Kosovo electricity consumers need to pay their bills:
We received from Kosovo a budget of 7,3 millions of Euro for repairing the low-pressure network in Kosovo. Our aim was to support consumers who are paying electricity. We are ready to provide the best service to them. We always have claims that we don’t have quality pressure, but I would say that the damages are happening in the places where electricity is not being paid. Because usage in those places is without any regulation.
The uncontrolled use of
electricity is yet another problem in the line of difficulties which face KEK.
Although reconstructing Kosovo was one of the major tasks after 1999, many
citizens in Kosovo took it upon themselves to construct dwellings without the
guidelines of construction safety codes and zoning regulations. Farouk Gashi,
Maintenance engineer at KEK warns how this phenomenon has also troubled the
electricity situation in Kosovo:
One of the biggest problem is the building of houses
under power line poles- but we are not
responsible. it’s the municipality that
is responsible for that. The houses are built under the power line poles, which
are very risky, it might break and fire can break out in the house and power
lines are being damaged.
Many people would agree that the issue of KEK will never be old news. Hopefully with the increased cooperation between relevant institutions, KEK and the consumers inside Kosovo…things will change for the better.
And that is all for this edition of UNMIK on Air. Thanks for listening and stay tuned for more.