After the completion of the sixth round of concession granting procedure, the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning of Macedonia signed agreements with 12 investors for the construction of 19 small hydropower plants, Republika.mk said.
The one-time concession fee is MKD 150 million (EUR 2.44 million). The contract expires after 23 years, including three years for the construction of the hydro systems, the magazine’s report said.
Minister Nurhan Izairi stated the plants shall add 20 MW to the country’s power production capacity. In the procedure for 80 small hydropower plants, the government had selected best offers for 33 locations, while these concessionaires are those who managed to obtain necessary permits in time, he added.
Predrag Čemerikić from Hydrogen Energy Group said its plan is to invest EUR 5 million in four small systems and start generating electricity in a year.