Speaking at the North Macedonian Energy Forum 2019, Deputy Prime Minister Koco Angjusev said that North Macedonia will add new 350 MW in renewable energy capacity in the next 2-3 years, adding that the adopted model will not affect the final price of electricity paid by customers.
Deputy PM Angjusev said that the state is in final stage of negotiations with EVN on the price of the connection of solar power plant to the national grid and at the locations near Makedonski Brod and Sveti Nikola, where state land is offered for the construction of photovoltaic installations, the price of connection should be between 25,000 and 30,000 euros per MW of installed capacity. Therefore, it is expected to add up to 200 MW in solar power under these conditions.
He said that under the previous model with feed-in tariffs, the state paid up to 19 million euros per year for RES produced electricity, but with the new premiums model, that amount will not exceed 4 million euros.
Currently, there are 75 operational small hydro-power plants in North Macedonia, additional 35 is under construction, while concessions were awarded for another 18. The country has one find farm – Bogdanci, operated by state-owned ESM, which should be expanded in the near future. Estimates made by transmission system operator MEPSO show that the system could withstand up to 150 MW of installed capacity in wind power. The capacity of existing biogas power plants is 7 MW, while additional 14 MW is under construction.
In late 2018, The Ministerial Council of the Energy Community (EnC) has adopted a decision on lowering North Macedonia’s 2020 target for the share of renewable energy in final consumption from 28 % to 23 %, at the request of North Macedonian authorities.
In 2016, North Macedonia achieved only an 18.2 % share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption, instead of its 24.6% median trajectory for 2015-2016. In 2017, the country had a total of 753 MW in renewables capacities, including large hydropower plants with combined in-stalled capacity of 585 MW, small hydropower plants with 107 MW, wind energy with 37 MW (Bogdanci wind farm), solar energy capacities of 17 MW and biogas capacities of 7 MW.
