North Macedonia fast-tracks two solar power plant projects of 155 MW in total

The Government of North Macedonia said solar power plant projects in Pehčevo and Karbinci are both getting a strategic investment status. The two firms developing them are registered at the same address in Skopje.

Shortly after Akuo Energy’s photovoltaic project of up to 400 MW in Štip was declared a strategic investment, the Government of North Macedonia gave the same status to two planned solar power plants in Pehčevo and Karbinci in the country’s east.

Renewable Power International will invest in a photovoltaic power plant with a capacity of 85 MW. Valued at EUR 63 million, it will be built in ​Dolni Balvan in Karbinci, according to the announcement. Local portal Bregalnicki.mk reported the owner is Pavel Valnev from a marginal political party called Republicans for Bulgaria from the neighboring country.

Renewable Power International has just received a power trading license from the Energy Regulatory Commission.

The government revealed HEC Solar would install a 70 MW solar power plant worth EUR 53 million in Pehčevo. Public records showed it is headed by Boyan Tabutov. HEC Solar is headquartered in Sofia, and an affiliated firm called Hydroenergy Co. or HEC is based in Blagoevgrad, near the border with North Macedonia.

Both firms are registered at the same address in Kisela Voda in the capital city of Skopje.

The first photovoltaic project with a strategic investment status in the country is EFT’s Erdželija, planned for 80 MW. The government introduced it without state incentives. However, such deals provide strong guarantees for investors and they can get different kinds of significant assistance, like land use and in administrative procedures.