Lights out

last updated 8 January 2015

Tirana, Albania

All of Albania was without power for nearly an entire day last week, as the country struggled to cope with a severe energy shortage. A heat wave that has been baking the Balkans has hit Albania the hardest because the country has such an antiquated and unreliable grid. The power plants that do work are mostly hydropower, and the drought is drying up the reservoirs, causing energy output to drop. The government this week announced it would cut the workday of public employees from eight hours to five, in an effort to save electricity.