North Macedonia has completed its first comprehensive national hydrogen study, establishing a technical and policy framework for the possible development of hydrogen production, transport, storage and industrial consumption through 2050.
The study was prepared with European Union support under IPA II, the Western Balkans Investment Framework and Infrastructure Project Facility 10. It was developed alongside the planned North Macedonia–Serbia gas interconnector and assesses how new infrastructure could form part of a future regional hydrogen corridor.
The analysis places North Macedonia between Greece and Serbia within the emerging Pan-European Hydrogen Network and European Hydrogen Backbone. The country’s geographic position creates a potential transit route connecting renewable production and import infrastructure in Greece with demand centres farther north.
The gas interconnector under construction with Greece has been designed to transport up to 100% hydrogen, according to the Ministry of Energy, Mining and Mineral Resources. Tender requirements for the planned Serbian connection also call for infrastructure compatible with pure hydrogen transmission.
Full technical compatibility is strategically useful, but it does not by itself create a viable hydrogen market. Pipelines need production projects, contracted demand, storage, compression systems, safety rules and certification standards before they can operate economically as hydrogen infrastructure.
The national study therefore examines possible applications in energy, industry, transport and district heating. It also considers the integration of renewable generation with electrolysis, the development of transport corridors and the potential contribution of hydrogen to greenhouse-gas reduction.
For North Macedonia, industrial demand will be decisive. Hydrogen is unlikely to compete efficiently with direct electrification in many heating or transport applications. Its strongest potential lies in sectors where electrification is technically difficult, including certain high-temperature industrial processes, fertiliser production and heavy transport.
The study gives the government a basis for sequencing these markets rather than pursuing infrastructure in isolation. Early projects will require an identifiable offtaker, reliable renewable electricity, water availability and a clear route to certification under European rules.
North Macedonia’s accession process adds another dimension. Hydrogen infrastructure designed around EU technical and environmental standards could strengthen integration with European energy markets. Poorly coordinated investment, by contrast, could leave the country with underused pipelines and expensive public liabilities.
The proposed Greek and Serbian interconnectors may initially operate primarily with natural gas. Hydrogen compatibility protects their future relevance, but conversion would require additional investment in metering, compressors, seals, storage and end-user equipment.
The national framework is therefore best understood as an option-building exercise. It allows North Macedonia to incorporate hydrogen readiness into infrastructure being developed today while waiting for production costs, European demand and cross-border rules to mature.
The country’s location gives it a credible corridor role, but bankable projects will emerge only when physical infrastructure is matched by long-term offtake contracts and a verifiable low-carbon supply chain.
