North Macedonia plans 50% renewables share in electricity production by 2024

North Macedonia will increase its efforts to speed up energy transition in order to increase the share of renewables in installed electricity production capacity to 50% by 2024.

The goal is part of the agenda of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev’s recently elected cabinet for the next four years. Environmental protection and green development are among the government’s six priorities.

According to economy minister Kreshnik Bekteshi, the transformation of the energy sector will continue at an even faster pace in order to implement the ambitious plan by 2024 to lift the share of renewables in power generation capacity to 50%.

Country plans to add PV plants with an installed capacity of 400 MW, and wind fams with installed capacity of 160 MW

The achievement will strengthen the country’s energy independence and stability of supply together with new energy interconnections with the country’s neighbors, Bekteshi said.

The country plans to add solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants with an installed capacity of 400 MW, which will produce 560 GWh per year or about 10% of total domestic output. One of the projects is planned in the Oslomej coal pit. It also aims to build wind power plants with an installed capacity of 160 MW.

The minister has announced a tender would be launched for the installation of PV plants on private land

Bekteshi said a tendering procedure would start in the spring for the construction of PV power plants on private land. A similar project ended in May, when the government signed contracts for the construction of solar power plants of 21 MW in total.

He said efforts would be made to ensure every consumer gets an opportunity to become a prosumer of environmentally friendly and cheap energy.

Bekteshi again repeated that the priority would be to convert thermal power plant Negotino from oil to gas in order to provide new opportunities for agricultural production.