Mexhiti hints at delaying North Macedonia’s coal exit deadline until 2050

North Macedonia aims to end the use of coal in the energy sector by 2050, said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning Izet Mexhiti. In addition, he stressed it requires strong financial and technical support, but also acknowledged the need to accelerate the energy transition.

North Macedonia has formally opted to phase out coal-fired power plants by 2030. Last year it launched its Just Transition Investment Platform for EUR 3 billion from private and public funds. But new First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning Izet Mexhiti has just hinted at postponing the deadline by 20 years, prompting controversy in domestic media.

The new government of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski and his center-right party VMRO-DPMNE replaced the cabinet led by Dimitar Kovačevski from the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) in June.

Mexhiti asks United States, EU to help accelerate energy transition

Mexhiti, who attended an energy security conference in Washington DC, said on Facebook that the country would meet the European Union’s deadlines for the transition to renewables. North Macedonia’s goal is to end the use of coal in the energy sector by 2050, he stressed, but also said it would require strong financial and technical support.

On the other hand, the first deputy prime minister asserted that trans-Atlantic efforts are necessary for accelerating the energy transition. Aid and financing are key for a sustainable transformation and for ensuring a just transition for affected communities, in Mexhiti’s words.

“The creation of green financing mechanisms would ease the transition away from coal and the development of clean energy, while regional cooperation through the Energy Community would help design joint strategies for the purpose. Having in mind the strategic position of North Macedonia in the Balkans as well as the impact of the war in Ukraine and Russian influence, I stressed the need for an increased involvement of the USA and EU. This support is vital to ensure energy independence and reduce Russian influence in the region,” the first deputy prime minister wrote after the event.

EU targeting coal phaseout by 2040

For context, the countries of the region committed in 2020 in the Sofia Declaration on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans to decarbonize their economies by mid-century in line with the European Union’s targets. But the EU is working to end the use of coal in particular by 2040.

At the same time, coal plants throughout the continent are cutting production or ending operations ahead of schedule. The ones in the Western Balkans are mostly obsolete and unreliable. North Macedonia has two coal mining and thermal power complexes: REK Bitola and REK Oslomej.