pastureland-grazing-livestock farming – Albanian  Telegraphic  Agency. https://en.ata.gov.al News Agency Sat, 07 Dec 2024 10:03:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Amendments permitting solar and wind farms on pastureland come into effect https://en.ata.gov.al/2024/12/07/amendments-permitting-solar-and-wind-farms-on-pastureland-come-into-effect/ https://en.ata.gov.al/2024/12/07/amendments-permitting-solar-and-wind-farms-on-pastureland-come-into-effect/#respond Sat, 07 Dec 2024 10:00:12 +0000 https://en.ata.gov.al/?p=251165 TIRANA, Dec 7 /ATA/- Pastureland in Albania constitutes a vital segment of agricultural land, primarily utilized for livestock farming, particularly for grazing. These lands are a key component of areas designated for agricultural and livestock activities across the country. Public pastureland is the dominant category, covering approximately 320,000-340,000 hectares, while private pastureland accounts for around 60,000-80,000 hectares.

According to the recent amendments made to the law on the “Pastureland Fund,” which came into effect with the publication in the Official Gazette, the construction of solar and wind power plants will now be permitted.

The amendments to this law were passed in Parliament after a request from Edona Bilali, a Socialist Party MP, who said, “Like many EU countries, Albania is now among those optimizing its resources by permitting renewable energy activities on pastureland.”

These changes allow pastureland areas to be used for social, health, sports, and tourism activities, in addition to the production of renewable energy.

The law published in the Official Gazette specifies that for permitting the activities related to the production of renewable energy on state-owned pastureland, the local government units will be responsible for following the appropriate legal procedures for granting the right to use the land.

While proposing this initiative, Deputy Bilali highlighted that the management of pastureland in our country, totaling 506,288 hectares, 60% of which is state-owned, faces several challenges, such as the fragmentation of parcels.

“One of the potential advantages of rural and mountainous lands is their use for renewable energy through photovoltaic panels. Since Albania has significant pastureland available and aims to increase energy production from renewable sources, utilizing pastures for both agricultural and livestock production, as well as for renewable energy generation, would be a ‘win-win’ scenario for the country’s economy. The use of photovoltaic panels is part of the efforts to promote green energy and exploit unused natural spaces for energy purposes,” emphasized Bilali.

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