Skopje, 15 October 2025 (MIA) -- North Macedonia's Electricity Transmission System Operator MEPSO and the French Development Agency signed a grant agreement worth EUR 600,000 for technical assistance in modernizing and digitizing the national power transmission network, the Ministry of Energy, Mining and Mineral Resources said in a press release Wednesday.

The grant includes financing for the technical assistance on stabilizing the power supply, reducing transmission losses, increasing the system's efficiency and preparing MEPSO for the growing share of renewable sources as well as for its integration into the regional market.

"As part of the project, experts from RTE International – a subsidiary of the France's Transmission System Operator RTE – have already held trainings for MEPSO engineers on the use of the Antares-Simulator, improving their technical and analytical capacities for more efficient management of the system in an increasingly dynamic electricity market," the release said. Antares-Simulator is an open-source tool for modeling, simulating and planning multi-energy systems.

According to the release, Energy Minister Sanja Bozhinovska stressed the importance of the partnership with France and the French support in building a modern and resilient energy system.

"The French Development Agency's technical assistance will make it possible for MEPSO to speed up the modernization and digitization of the grid, improve planning and operations and be more effective in managing the greater inclusion of renewable sources," Bozhinovska is quoted as saying in the release.

"A more advanced and smarter grid means fewer outages, better use of clean energy, stronger regional connections and a more resistant system to weather conditions, demand fluctuations or market instability," she said.

MEPSO director-general Burim Latifi said the grant would help MEPSO transform into "a smarter, more efficient and future-oriented" transmission system operator.

RTE International CEO Veronika Milewski said the project was an important step forward for North Macedonia's energy sector, combining national ambition, regional cooperation and European partnership.

French Ambassador Christophe Le Rigoleur said France, through AFD and RTE International, was proud to support North Macedonia in its efforts to strengthen energy stability and to create a greener, more digitized future.

AFD Group works to deliver on France’s ambition to build a fairer, more united and more sustainable future with international partners. It finances and supports projects in the most vulnerable countries, in middle-income countries, and in France’s Overseas Territories. Its action is guided by a dual mandate: to combat poverty and inequality, and to preserve global public goods such as the climate, biodiversity and global health.

Present in the Western Balkans since 2019, AFD's mandate is to support the convergence of countries in the region toward European Union standards and the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement. In North Macedonia, it finances development projects and technical cooperation programs in support of an inclusive and low-carbon growth trajectory. mr/