North Macedonia expects surplus green electricity from May to October

Solar power projects with construction permits reached a record of over 400 MW in total in North Macedonia, Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi said. There will probably be surplus electricity from renewable sources during the period from May to October, in his view.

North Macedonia scheduled an increase in value-added tax on electricity to 18% from 10% for July 1, but Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi said he doesn’t expect prices to actually rise, pointing to developments in the market. He hinted that the government could delay the increase if necessary and added that the calculation method would be adjusted.

Total planned capacity of photovoltaic projects that received construction permits has surpassed 400 MW, reaching an all-time high, Bekteshi said. The interest in such investments has significantly grown with the simplification of the procedure, he stressed.

ESM’s production reached a ten-year record

Moreover, North Macedonia will most likely have renewable electricity surpluses from May to October as production should exceed demand during some hours and days, according to the minister. Speaking at the same press conference, Chief Executive Officer of Elektrani na Severna Makedonija or ESM Vasko Kovačevski said the state-owned utility is currently producing the most electricity in the last ten years.

In less than four years, 700 MW of new capacity will be connected to the grid, Minister Bekteshi estimated. He revealed that an allocation plan would soon be issued to make sure that investors know right at the start of a project whether it will be possible to get their power plant online. ESM’s investments in renewables will get priority, he explained.

The surge in demand for grid connections surprised North Macedonia’s transmission system operator

Transmission system operator MEPSO, which is tasked with connecting renewable electricity facilities of over 10 MW to the grid, received 43 requests last year for 5.14 GW, Vesti reported. The article adds that another 8 GW is expected.

MEPSO’s CEO Orhan Murtezani said the rise in demand is unexpectedly high and suggested that investors should be obligated to install batteries with their green power plants.