North Macedonia sets new record in renewable power plant licensing

The upward trend of investment in renewable energy in North Macedonia has further accelerated in 2023, compared to the record-breaking 2022. The Energy and Water Services Regulatory Commission (RKE) issued licenses for 545 power plants for the production of electricity from renewable sources from January 2022 through June 30, 2023, with a total installed capacity of about 270 MW.

Over the past 18 months, RKE, the regulatory body of North Macedonia, has issued licenses for 545 power plants, with a combined capacity of 270 MW. RKE President Marko Bislimoski has said that in the first six months of 2023, the regulator issued licenses for 278 power plants, more than it did in the whole of 2022.

RKE specified that the installed capacity for the first six months of this year can meet the needs of over 104,000 households with average electricity consumption.

The total power of the plants that have received licenses from the regulatory body is equivalent to the average household consumption in the cities of Ohrid, Tetovo, Kratovo, Kruševo, Kriva Palanka, Sveti Nikola, Resen, Dojran, Debar, Vinica, Struga, Negotino, and Đevđelija, according to RKE.

“The interest among companies is increasing, as evidenced by the figures we are announcing, which is why this year the import of electricity has been reduced to 13%, compared to the usual 30%,” said Bislimoski.

Bislimoski: The interest among companies is increasing, as evidenced by the figures we are announcing

In the previous year, RKE issued licenses for 267 facilities for the production of electricity from renewable sources, predominantly solar power plants, with a total capacity of 152.2 MW.

Bislimoski said that an “ultra-record expansion” of private initiatives for investing in renewables was recorded in 2022, for the first time ever. With more licenses issued in the first six months of this year than in the “record-breaking” 2022, the trend in North Macedonia continues and further accelerates.

The regulatory body has also announced it is considering amendments to the regulations that would require new photovoltaic plant installations to have a battery system.