VLORE: CENTER OF CIVIC ACTION

UNCLAS TIRANA 000035

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ECON ENRG SENV AL
SUBJECT: VLORE: CENTER OF CIVIC ACTION



1. (U) SUMMARY: The Citizen's Alliance for the Protection of the
Vlore Bay, the "Vlore Alliance," an environmentally-focused civil
society organization that works to protect Albania's central coast,
has recently intensified efforts to push for reconsideration of
large-scale oil storage and thermal power development in and around
the Bay of Vlore. While the economic benefits of these projects
stand unchallenged, the Alliance continues to raise concerns over
the environmental impact on the bay's flora and fauna, as well as
the thriving local tourist trade. This is a rare example of civic
activism and grassroots democracy, seldom seen in Albania,
particularly outside the capital city. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) A bustling city of 150,000, Vlore is the gateway to Albania's
spectacular and undeveloped southern coastline and home to its
deepest sea port. Approval for the construction of a major thermal
power plant was inked by then-Prime Minister Nano in 2003 and
approved by local leaders following limited public debate. Since
that time, many citizens have become increasingly concerned
regarding its environmental impact, and feel that their views
continue to be inadequately addressed. Nonetheless, ground was
broken on this project north of the city, as well as for an oil
storage depot, in 2007. The thermal power plant is backed by
international development financiers including the World Bank, the
European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (EBRD).


3. (U) Formed in early 2005, the Alliance has successfully raised
awareness of its cause while failing to halt the project's
development, leading it to use increasingly stronger tactics. The
organization's early protest actions included filing complaints with
local officials, hosting press conferences, peaceful protests around
town and in Tirana, and requests for meetings with World Bank
officials. In 2005 the organization collected 14,000 signatures in
support of a referendum on development of the oil storage depot in
Vlore, which was rejected by the Central Election Commission (CEC)
because the project's site sits just beyond the city's border. The
CEC Chairman has also said that the project, which was approved
nationally by Parliament, cannot be the subject of a local
referendum.


4. (U) Recently the Alliance raised the bar, blocking the road from
Vlore to the "Soda Forest," as the construction site is known
locally. (An old soda factory once stood in the forest where
construction has begun.) For nine days in late December and early
January, 50 - 60 people, mostly students, camped out on the road,
surrounded by tires and other large debris, forcing traffic to
detour through the city's outskirts until local officials called on
police special forces to forcibly remove them. The protesters were
jailed and released within hours. There were some accusations that
the police used excessive force, but contacts among the activists
told Embassy that force had not been used.


5. (U) In the context of Albania's energy supply and development,
the 97 MW dual-source thermal power plant currently under
construction is a particularly important project, as it will
diversify Albania's near total reliance on hydro-generated power and
ease the current strain on energy resources. Currently
approximately 97 percent of Albania's electricity comes from hydro
power plants located in the north. Due primarily to severe
droughts, the country has suffered a severe energy crisis for the
past two years, including power shortages and load shedding, and in
2007 imported about 40 percent of electricity consumed. The Vlore
thermal plant would diversify the supply both geographically and by
source of production, improving future prospects for Albania's
energy self-sufficiency.


6. (SBU) COMMENT: Although the latest protest suggests shades of the
more radical environmental movements of Western Europe, this is a
home-grown initiative, although the Alliance received some technical
advice from members of Croatia's Eko Kvarner Association. It is an
unusually well-organized movement which is rumored to have support
from the tourist industry and residential land developers who are
protecting their own interests. A polluted bay or demolished
wetlands would destroy further tourist potential in the area.
Certainly Vlore's citizens have taken on the challenge of standing
up to some industry giants and their own government with strong and
well-coordinated action. Their example of civic involvement is
encouraging in an emerging democracy that is more often
characterized by apathy than belief that ordinary citizens can
affect change.
CRISTINA