Energy Community hails N. Macedonia's plan to convert coal mine to solar park

SKOPJE (North Macedonia), February 19 (SeeNews) – The Energy Community said that North Macedonia has become its first contracting party to start converting coal mines to solar parks.

“As part of its efforts to boost renewables and fight air pollution, North Macedonia has initiated the realization of its plans to build solar plants on top of a coal mine site in Oslomej, Kicevo,” the organisation's secretariat said in a statement on Tuesday.

“With this project, North Macedonia shows an excellent example of how coal regions can be profitably transformed, providing new employment opportunities for former coal workers and driving sustainable regional development,” the director of the secretariat, Janez Kopac, said.

North Macedonia's government said last week it has invited offers for participation in a public-private partnership with state-owned electricity company ESM for a 100 MW solar park project worth an estimated 80 million euro ($87.2 million). The agreement will have a 35-year term, during which the private investor will pay to the ESM an annual fee equal to 10% of the revenue from the sale of the solar park's electricity output at market prices. The deadline for submitting offers is May 8.

The project envisages the construction of two photovoltaic units of 50 MW each in Oslomej, in the country's western part, with all funds for their construction to be provided by the private partner.

($ = 0.92443 euro)

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