Skopje, 25 October 2022 (MIA) – Hydro power plant Chebren’s capacity will be 333 MW, and reach over 400 MW together with the existing Tikvesh hydro plant. Its importance will not only lie in the capacity but also the grid balancing and helping our transition to renewable energy, says Minister of Environment and Physical Planning Naser Nuredini in an interview with Faktor. Minister Nuredini says renewables – sun, wind etc – are not consistent and the country needs a balancing means when they are not able to produce electricity. According to him, the two hydro plants would produce a total of about 1,200 GWh per year, namely a 33-percent increase of national electricity production, quantity sufficient for about 180,000 households. “Considering developments related to the economic and energy crisis and their global effect, states are oriented towards using domestic capacities. This significant project sets the foundations for this. The Chebren project is happening at a time when we see what energy independence and security means. One can say this is the right time but I would say this is something that should have been done a long time ago. In addition, national electricity production is cheaper and households would pay less than what is the case today,” says Nuredini. The bid of Greek company “PPS” is being evaluated as the only company that passed the first stage. “There are less than 30 days left until the evaluation is completed. If everything goes well, the document signing will follow. This project is feasible and is one of the most important and largest infrastructure projects in the country. The state and the citizens will benefit from it,” adds Nuredini.