Solar energy achieved a significant milestone in North Macedonia’s electricity sector in 2025, overtaking hydropower in installed capacity and surpassing cogeneration plants in electricity output for the first time.
According to the annual report published by the national energy regulator, the Regulatory Commission for Energy (RKE), North Macedonia increased its total installed electricity generation capacity by 178.6 MW during 2025. The majority of this expansion came from new solar installations totaling 115 MW, alongside two newly commissioned wind farms with a combined capacity of 64 MW.
This rapid expansion of solar projects pushed total solar capacity to 962.6 MW, making it the country’s second-largest generation source after thermal power plants, which remain the largest at 1,034 MW. Hydropower facilities fell to third place with 719.9 MW of installed capacity.
Renewable electricity production also continued its upward trajectory. Output from renewable sources increased by 11.43% year-on-year, while the share of renewables in the national electricity mix rose from 41% to 46.4%.
Despite this shift, thermal power plants still accounted for the largest share of total generation at 35.39%, followed by hydropower at 21.57%, solar at 19.28%, and cogeneration plants at 18.23%.
A key structural change in the market was that solar generation surpassed cogeneration output for the first time. Solar power plants produced around 1,180 GWh, compared with 1,116 GWh generated by cogeneration units.
RKE Chairman Aco Ristov stated that total electricity production in North Macedonia reached 6,123 GWh in 2025, remaining broadly stable compared to the previous year. He also highlighted strong growth in variable renewables, noting that wind generation increased by 32.5%, while solar output rose by 27.7% year-on-year.
Battery storage also began to emerge as a supporting element of the country’s energy transition. During 2025, the regulator issued seven licenses for electricity storage systems linked to solar projects, representing a combined installed capacity of 7.1 MW. According to Ristov, battery systems will play an increasingly important role in balancing surplus renewable generation and improving system efficiency by shifting electricity from periods of oversupply to peak demand hours.
He added that storage deployment is expected to reduce overall system costs by improving grid balancing and enabling more efficient use of renewable energy resources.
