Photo: Government of North Macedonia
The construction of the largest wind farm in the Western Balkans region has begun in North Macedonia. The Government of North Macedonia and investor Alcazar Energy Partners held a groundbreaking ceremony near the city of Štip for the 400 MW facility.
The Štip wind farm will cover an area of 326 hectares in the municipalities of Karbinci, Radoviš, and Štip, southeast of the capital city of Skopje. Alcazar Energy Partners, which is developing the largest renewable energy platform in the Western Balkans, plans to invest USD 500 million and install 55 wind turbines, which would generate electricity equivalent to the needs of 100,000 households.
The largest operational wind farm in the Western Balkans is Čibuk 1, with a capacity of 158 MW, while the largest project in the pipeline is Maestrale Ring, also in Serbia, for 854 MW.
Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Alcazar Energy Daniel Calderon praised North Macedonia’s readiness to launch such a large-scale project.
The investment will create 600 jobs
The foundation is being laid for a project worth over USD 500 million, which will create 600 jobs, provide clean energy, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, he stated.
Calderon also recalled that in a Bloomberg analysis, investments in renewable energy in the Western Balkans were estimated at USD 11 billion. Due to its advantages, including location, North Macedonia can expect to receive 30% to 40% of it.
North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski noted that the ceremony represents the fulfillment of what the newly formed government promised and agreed with the investor a year ago. He added it is only the first phase.
The power plant will produce 1 TWh of electricity per year
There are many more ideas on how the investment can add even greater value and be more significant both for the investor and for North Macedonia, but it will be discussed at a later stage, according to Mickoski.
He added that the power plant would generate 1 TWh of electricity per year.
North Macedonia currently has two wind farms – Bogdanci, with a capacity of 36.8 MW and a 15 MW expansion underway, and Bogoslovec, of 36 MW, in which the Green Growth Fund (GGF) is a minority shareholder.
The largest wind farm in Europe has a capacity of 2,000 MW
In mid-April, Alcazar Energy Partners signed a development support agreement for the Štip project with the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group. The company has a 1.6 GW pipeline of greenfield onshore wind and solar assets,
Of note, the largest operational wind farm in Europe is Markbygden in Sweden, with a capacity of 2,000 MW. Among the top ten, there is another wind farm in Sweden and one in Norway, while the others are in the United Kingdom. The list also includes the 600 MW Fântânele-Cogealac-Gradina wind park in Romania.
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