Black Gold by Jonas Kakó

Albania is one of the poorest European countries, with a per capita income of US$4,500. Yet it has a subsoil that is rich in crude oil, with more than 5.3 billion barrels lying beneath the surface. During the communist dictatorship of Enver Hoxha, the country was isolated, leaving it open only to Soviet and Chinese influences. These relationships led to the development of the technological capabilities necessary to begin tapping into Albania’s oil wells, but since the fall of the regime, free market capitalism has taken hold. Now, various corporations, including Bankers Petroleum, a Canadian company recently acquired by China’s Geo-Jade Petroleum, own 95 percent of crude oil extraction in the Patos-Marzina region. This seismic shift in the market has caused significant social and environmental issues, including contaminated lakes, oil leaks, abandoned structures, the poisoning of underground water wells and emissions that affect the surrounding villages.