Skopje, 5 February 2024 (MIA) - Strategic energy investments will increase the country's energy independence and cut heating bills in half, President of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Marko Bislimoski said on Monday.

"It is great that we will finally have a French investment and together with the realization of the Greek energy investment, citizens can expect stable electricity bills and lower heating bills. At the same time, the lowered price will increase interest in connecting to the heating energy network, which will release quantities produced by ESM at the level of two blocs at the Mining and Energy Combine REK Bitola. ESM will be able to sell electricity on the stock market and use the money for investments," Bislimoski said in an interview with Sloboden Pecat. 

The concept of private investors in this case, he added, is strategically applied everywhere in Europe.

"It is a model where the private investor builds energy capacities, and the energy is purchased at a pre-determined price, lower than that of ESM. Currently, ESM sells electricity to EVN Home for EUR 58 per megawatt hour, while for strategic partners it will cost EUR 55 per megawatt hour. The main electricity comes from coal produced at REK Bitola, whose production will become more expensive due to an EU tax of EUR 70-80 per megawatt hour, meaning that the price of electricity will reach up to EUR 150. Hopefully, there will be even more investors, and we will become a country that exports electricity, instead of one that imports electricity," Bislimoski explained.

He stressed that in 2023 alone, due to private investments, the amount of imported electricity has been halved, which is a positive sign.

Bislimoski also added that in two years’ time licences have been issued for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources with an installed capacity of almost 600 megawatts, and that, he pointed out, are investments from the private sector, mostly for photovoltaic power plants.

"When it comes to energy, everything achieved in independent Macedonia, almost 85 percent, is through private investments. The government-owned ESM has made the Kozjak, i.e. Sveta Petka hydropower plant and the Bogdanci wind power plant, a total of 140 megawatts, while the remaining 900 watts are privately-owned.

The thesis that the country should build energy capacities is legitimate, Bislimoski said, but due to the energy crisis ESM provides a subsidized price for citizens and operates at a loss- because it received funds from the budget. Now it will be able to keep the low price so that citizens can receive lower bills. ssh/nn/

Photo: MIA archive