Protest against 4 hydropower plants in Puka, residents ask the Administrative Court to annul the permits

Residents of the villages of Mesul, Kimez and Kalivare in Puka are seeking the annulment of the permits for the construction of four hydropower plants in their area, and have also filed a lawsuit with the Administrative Court. The residents claim that no public hearing was held for the projects.

“The water cannot be taken in any way, because a betrayal has been committed,” one of the residents said. “Let us demand the annulment of the concession permit immediately. I don’t know who gives you these permits, how they do it, what they do without asking the people,” another resident said.

The residents’ lawyer, Arbër Raja, says that during the examination of the documentation a series of problems were found, starting with the environmental permit. Raja stresses that the residents’ opposition has also been expressed through a petition signed by 330 people.

“The residents, who in fact, when they became aware of the construction of the hydropower plant, collected 330 signatures to oppose it. It also turns out that this permit was not accompanied by a hearing of all the residents of the area, but according to the information it was held with a hearing of a few individuals, for whom there is in fact no concrete meeting record that this public hearing was held,” lawyer Raja stated.

The permits for the construction of the hydropower plants in Puka were granted back in 2023, while they entered into force in December 2025, after the completion of the documentation by the company BE-IS SHPK.

So far, works on the ground have not begun, while in addition to the lawsuit at the Administrative Court, the community has also filed a criminal complaint with the prosecution, for abuse of office and forgery of documents.