Albania's Albpetrol sell-off scrapped as accusations fly
Albania's attempt to privatise the state oil and gas firm has stumbled
If the EU required evidence of Albania's inability to improve transparency and accountability in government and business, then it need look no further than the fiasco surrounding the recent attempt to privatise the country's most valuable asset, state oil and gas firm Albpetrol. In February, the Albanian government was forced to scrap the tender for 100% of Albpetrol after it first had to invalidate the winning bid from a consortium headed by local businessman Rezart Taci because it failed to come up with a down payment, then had to abandon talks with the second-placed bidder, China's Win Business Petroleum Group, because, under the tender rules, the bids had expired.Minister of Economy, Tra
Also in this section
5 March 2026
Gas is a central pillar of Colombia’s energy system, but declining production poses a significant challenge, and LNG will be increasingly needed as a stopgap. A recent major offshore gas discovery offers hope, but policy improvements are also required, Camilo Morales, secretary general of Naturgas, the Colombian gas association, tells Petroleum Economist
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat
