North Macedonia’s state-owned utility ESM has selected POWERCHINA Jiangxi Electric Power Construction to build two photovoltaic plants with a combined capacity of 30 MW, advancing the conversion of sites associated with the country’s coal industry toward renewable generation.
The larger installation will have 20 MW of capacity and will be constructed near the Bitola thermal power complex in southern North Macedonia. The contract is valued at €15.65 million.
A second 10 MW plant will be built at Oslomej, using land previously associated with coal mining. That contract is worth €12 million, putting the combined value of the two awards at €27.65 million.
The agreements were signed in late June, according to contract-award information cited from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. POWERCHINA Jiangxi Electric Power Construction will be responsible for construction and operation, with completion scheduled by 13 August 2027.
Once both plants are operating, they are expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 33,000 tonnes annually. The EBRD is supporting the wider programme through a €25 million loan approved in 2021.
Oslomej is already becoming one of the most visible locations in North Macedonia’s transition away from coal. ESM placed its first 10 MW solar plant there into trial operation in 2022 and has outlined plans for another 100 MW of photovoltaic capacity.
Private developers are also involved. Agreements signed by the government in 2021 with Bulgaria’s Solarpro Holding and Turkey’s Fortis Energy Electric cover a further 100 MW of solar development at the former Oslomej mine.
The newly awarded projects therefore form part of a considerably larger repurposing programme rather than isolated solar installations. Oslomej in particular is evolving from a coal-production site into a mixed portfolio of state-backed and privately developed photovoltaic assets, while Bitola is beginning a similar diversification process alongside its existing thermal infrastructure.
