North Macedonia launches tendering for construction of solar power plants backed by premiums

The Government of North Macedonia has launched tendering for the construction of solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants with a combined capacity of 35 MW on state land, according to a press release from the Government.

Plots of land for the construction of PV power plants with a total capacity of 25 MW are offered in the municipality of Sveti Nikole and for PV power plants with a combined capacity of 10 MW in the municipality of Makedonski Brod, according to the Government’s press release and video file.

The tendering procedure is simple and transparent, said Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic affairs Koco Angjusev, adding that the land will be awarded to investors that seek the lowest feed-in premiums. The ceiling price is set at EUR 15 per MWh, he said.

Locations are available for solar power plants with a capacity of 10 MW, 5 MW, 2 MW, and 1 MW, which means that not only major investors can compete, according to Angjusev. The bidders must prove creditworthiness and have positive balance sheets and no debts to other legal entities, he said.

The state will facilitate administrative procedures, while investors will be required to produce project documentation, including an environmental impact assessment study, and procure the equipment, according to Angjusev. The price of the grid connection will be in the EUR 20,000-EUR 30,000 range, he said.

The deadline to bid expires on August 21 and the offers will be opened in late August, Angjusev said at a presentation of the public call to submit bids.

Tendering to build solar power plants on private land planned within weeks

In the next several weeks, tendering will be launched for the construction of solar power plants with a combined capacity of 27 MW on privately owned land, he said.

Once the 62 MW in solar power capacity covered by the two tendering procedures is built, North Macedonia’s solar power capacity will triple from 18 MW currently, he noted, adding that investments to build the PV facilities covered by the two tendering procedures are estimated at around EUR 50 million.

According to an earlier report, the premiums will be paid over a 15-year period.