North Macedonia seeks investors in solar power projects in industrial zones

North Macedonia’s Directorate for Technological-Industrial Development Zones published a call for allocating sites for solar power plants. The tender was launched for public-private partnerships for 37 plots in five areas.

The Directorate for Technological-Industrial Development Zones (TIDZ or, in Macedonian, TIRZ) announced that, in some of the areas, there are plots of land that have not been used for more than 15 years. It prompted the to use it in the best way possible, for the development of solar power plants.

The call is for the establishment of public-private partnerships for solar power projects on 37 sites in five technological-industrial development zones. Most of them aren’t suitable for the construction of manufacturing facilities, according to the directorate.

The call is open until December 29

Contracts are planned for the design, construction, operation, and financing of photovoltaic units in the zones Skopje 1 and Skopje 2, Štip, Strumica, Prilep, and Struga. The partnerships are for a period of 25 years, the statement adds. The call is open until December 29.

In the feasibility study, the investments were valued at a total of EUR 40 million. The peak capacity would be 50 MW. The tender documentation shows that Štip would host the most, 34 MW. The sites cover 60.6 hectares overall, of which 54.3 hectares are designated for solar power plants.

Multiple companies are allowed to invest

The procedure allows for investment by multiple companies, both domestic and foreign. The government will receive a share of revenue, and an additional fixed fee is foreseen for land use.

According to a study conducted by international auditing firm Grant Thornton, the fixed fee alone is estimated at a combined EUR 14 million over the contract duration.

“These funds will be used to cover the costs of preparing the land in the zones, as well as for other infrastructure endeavors aimed at expediting and ensuring the successful implementation of these investment projects,” the statement reads. Part of the revenue will be used to finance TIDZ’s initiatives to support youth.