Prishtina, 20 December 2017 – Today, we were all witnesses of the ceremony organized to honor the execution of the commercial agreements, eight in total, that will definitely ensure the country’s energy independency, said the Minister of Economic Development, Valdrin Lluka, during the press conference held together with Contour Global’s Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Brandt, after the closure of said ceremony.

Minister Lluka, also the Chairman of the TPP Kosova e Re Project Steering Committee, said that the agreements were negotiated, discussed and finalized by numerous experts and government officials, and was finally executed today, expressing also his content with this fact.

“I wish to thank Mr. Brandt for the close cooperation in the finalization of this project. Normally, reaching an agreement requires the consent of both parties, and we found such consent also owing the Prime Minister for his mediation, as he was present during the negotiations which resulted in the finalization of this process that will be beneficial for both parties”, he said.

According to the Head of MED, KRPP project has certain specific criteria. It will utilize super-critical technologies, which provides suitability for our environment for many years to come, especially upon closure of TPP Kosova A and commissioning of this project. This project not only ensures energy independence, but will also result in environmental improvements, especially for the Prishtina region.

“What’s important is that the project also has an economic impact. This €1.3 billion project will be implemented over a course of four years. I believe that because of this project, GDP assumptions will exceed 5 or 6% as of 2019, due to the introduction of foreign direct investments in Kosovo”, Minister Lluka said, adding that another important component of the project is the employment generated by it, being that thousands will be hired for the construction of the power plant, while 500 permanent jobs will be created upon its commissioning.

Minister Lluka emphasized how significant it is for the country to have foreign investors with great experience in the country, which will serve as a good reference for potential investors in other spheres. We can use this occasion to ask Mr. Joseph to assist us in bringing new investors in Kosovo by telling them his success story, he said.

Minister Lluka underscored that Thermal Power Plant Kosova e Re will yield benefits outside the energy sector too, while expressing his hope that in cooperation with Contour Global the construction of the power plant will commence in 2019.

“We will make the contract public soon. It will be available to everyone. I believe that in doing so we will break a taboo of working in a secretive manner. In this case, it will all be open and public, and Kosovo will embark on a different way of acting and establish an atmosphere of transparency,” he said.

On the other hand, Joseph Brandt, CEO of Contour Global, said that the day of contract execution is a wonderful day for the country and the inception of a long and successful project and project.

“The inducement of the Government and Minister of Economic Development were key to come to this point, and now we are able to mobilize our actions and capital and human resources to ensure proper project implementation,” he said.

Brandt also said that this day marked an important keystone for the Government of the Republic of Kosovo and Contour Global, and one that was achieved as planned, while using the opportunity to congratulate the minister and other stakeholders involved in the project.