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Macedonian state-owned utility ELEM and consulting company AF Consult from Switzerland signed the agreement regarding feasibility study for Vardar Valley energy project. The Swiss company has nine months to deliver EUR 88,626 worth study draft that should identify goals and activities for the project development.
The key task of the study is to choose an optimum solution for the hydropower potentials of Vardar river, reports portal Republika.
“When adopted, this solution for Vardar Valley hydro system will also optimize complete system configuration, parameters for future objects construction and options for the system management. The first phase of the study will analyze and confirm economical, functional, energetic and socio-ecological impact”, ELEM announced.
Idea is to build 12 hydropower plants on 200 km of Vardar river in Macedonia, from the capital city of Skoplje all the way to the boarder with Greece. The two largest hydropower plants should deliver 300 GWh (Veles) and 257 GWh (Gradec) per year. Other, smaller facilities, will deliver anywhere from 60 to 130 GWh per year, depending on the location and the water flow.
“This project will significantly improve domestic electricity production capacities in Macedonia. Also, by using the renewable energy we will be able to cut CO2 emissions, reduce fossil fuels consumption and cut the risks of floods by regulating the river”, ELEM explained in the statement.
AF Consult, located in Baden, Switzerland, founded in 1895, operates today as a part of the international AF Group, located in Stockholm, Sweden. The Group is one of the largest consulting companies, with over 1,500 projects in more than 80 states, and holding offices in 25 countries in the world.
