The European tourist paradise polluted by abandoned oil wells

Kuçovë (Albania)Oil drilling rigs dominate the landscape around Kuçovë, about 20 kilometers from Berat, one of the most popular tourist cities in Albania, a country that promotes itself as a natural paradise of mountains and pristine beaches. The stench of oil, even with the car windows rolled up, is so intense that it is difficult for those unused to it to bear. In the middle of a cornfield, there is a large pool of crude oil that emanates an even more unpleasant stench. There are even oil extraction towers and pumps in the yards of private homes.

Kuçovë is Albania's second largest oil field and is still partially operational, although there are areas full of abandoned wells and storage tanks and rusty pipes, with leaks contaminating the ground. This is the oldest oil-producing area in the country. In 1928, an Italian company drilled Albania's first well here, and the field became a major source of fuel for Italy during World War II, when Mussolini occupied the Balkan country.

Shortly after, other hydrocarbon-rich areas began to be exploited, such as the Patos-Marinza area (approximately 30 kilometers), the largest in the country and the largest onshore field in continental Europe. It is estimated to contain more than 5 billion barrels of oil, but no new extraction projects have been carried out for almost half a century. In the 1970s, when Albania was controlled by the ironclad communist dictatorship of Enver Hoxha, reached its peak in oil production, which became the country's most important economic sector. But after the fall of the Soviet Union, this industry declined, and a lack of investment led to the deterioration of its facilities.

Currently, the main production company is Bankers Petroleum, a Chinese company, but the wells are owned by the state-owned company Albpetrol. In total, there are 6,000 oil wells open in Albania, but only 800 remain productive. "The rest, around 5,200, are not properly sealed," emphasizes Adriatik Golemaj, a journalist associated with the Zharrëza Association, an NGO fighting pollution in the Patos-Marinza region. "A well is basically a 1,500-meter-deep hole, and if it's not closed following the correct procedure, it continues to communicate with the surface. They remain active and emit contaminated water, crude oil, gases...," he summarizes. "But no one cares to fix it because it's very expensive. Closing a well properly costs around $50,000."

Institutional impunity

According to the Albanian digital newspaper Shqiptarja.com, authorities have only carried out one inspection in Kuçovë in the last two years, in the summer of 2023, after police were alerted to an oil spill in a local stream. The environmental agency fined Albpetrol one million lek (about €10,000) and initiated criminal proceedings against the company's management.

According to the portal Balkan Insight, two 2019 reports commissioned by Albpetrol pointed to contamination in Kuçovë, including oil, phenol, and heavy metals in farmland and waterways. "The analysis of this water sample shows that the level of hydrocarbons is high compared to the standards of the European directive," it stated. The Regional Environment Agency also confirmed to the outlet that its inspections had detected contamination in some of the wells and added that the pipes, collectors, storage tanks, and other equipment are very old, almost 100 years old.

Human rights groups have denounced the situation, particularly regarding the impact on the health of the inhabitants of these areas, although there are no comprehensive studies to confirm this. "We have historical contamination, which has never been managed, and new contamination, created after the 1990s," Qani Rredhi, an activist with the Zharrëza Association, told ARA. He criticizes the companies' inability to self-analyze, and there is no governmental or independent institution monitoring their activities and the pollution they cause.

The Albanian Helsinki Committee, a human rights organization, published a report in 2023 on hydrocarbon pollution in Zharrëz, in the area of the Patos-Marinza oil field. Its investigation noted the "lack of safety measures and rehabilitation" of old or abandoned facilities, some of which are "very close to homes or cultivation areas or greenhouses." It also criticized the lack of information provided by institutions and asserted that the lack of administrative controls creates "a climate of lack of accountability and responsibility" on the part of operators.

Health problems

The NGO spoke with residents who confirmed they had received regular medication for blood disorders, and some residents also reported an increase in cancers. Rredhi, from the local association, also states that in areas near the oil fields, the incidence of cancer is higher than elsewhere. He explains that people use the contaminated water for drinking and cooking. The most common symptoms include dizziness, headaches, and allergies. "It's like being drugged all day long," he says.

"People have gotten used to living like this because the pollution has been going on for generations, but the situation is critical," Golemaj laments. "The oil industry was once the most important sector in the country, so they simply drilled wherever there was oil. It didn't matter if it was in residential areas, even in people's gardens."

Rredhi laments that "no one has bothered to measure, analyze, or understand the magnitude of the pollution problem" and how it affects residents' health. According to the activist, the Albanian government commissioned an assessment of the impact on residents' health from a Dutch consultancy firm, Royal Haskoning, but the results were not made public. When contacted by ARA, the consultancy firm responded that all the reports it produces are confidential. The Albanian Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy and Albpetrol did not respond to this newspaper's questions.

Pollution in rivers and the sea

According to Rredhi, some 500,000 people live in the areas affected by hydrocarbon pollution. But both activists warn that pollution also affects two rivers, the Semán and Viosa. The latter is the second largest river in the country and one of the country's tourist attractions. considered one of the last wild rivers in EuropeIn fact, in 2023 it was declared a National Park by the Albanian government.

Adriatik Golemaj explains that Albania produces around 600,000 tons of oil each year, but of all the fluid that comes from the subsoil, 10% is oil and 90% is water, so six million tons of wastewater are extracted. Some of this water is discharged into surface waters, such as rivers. "This water, which contains chemicals used to extract the oil, is also used to irrigate agricultural areas," he says, noting that these areas also have many fishing communities. "So this pollution ends up on our plates." Furthermore, the rivers flow into the Adriatic Sea: "Many tourists from all over the world come here and don't know they're swimming in polluted water."