Ovche Pole becoming green energy Mecca
Shtip, 28 July 2021 (MIA) - Ovche Pole is becoming a green energy production center. The abundance of wind and sunlight will be used to produce electricity. The construction of wind farm Bogoslovec has officially started. The first private Macedonian investor, Thor Impex, is going to invest EUR 61 million to set up eight windmills, each with an electrical capacity of 36 MW.
With the start of this investment, as well as the investments in photovoltaic centrals near Amzambegovo Village with a capacity of 25 MW that is set to happen soon, Sveti Nikole is becoming the town where the most renewable power will be produced.
Local companies already have photovoltaic centrals on rooftops
Large photovoltaic centrals have been set up in multiple locations in the east, but green energy is used in the production of a couple of factories in Shtip, Sveti Nikole and Kochani. Photovoltaics are being placed on rooftops, and one of them is the textile factory Moda in Sveti Nikole, which has two centrals. Angel Dimitrov, Moda manager, says he’s surprised with how well the investment paid off, having halved their electricity bills, there’s less pollution, and they’ll make the investment back in four years.
“Almost a year ago, Okta representatives came to me and offered me to rent the roof of our factory in order to make a 300 KW photovoltaic central to make electricity, because it’s much easier to make a central on metal roofs than on the ground, where things need to be leveled and concrete pillars need to be placed. I figured, if it pays off for them, it pays off for me even more,” Dimitrov says.
Having no experience, the two parties decided to place two 150 KW centrals, one of them on top of Moda and the second one on Okta.
“We used their expertise and knowledge to get the best offer, but we also used their permission to sell excess electricity, which is difficult if you’re a small producer. There is excess, and when we had no work due to the pandemic, we worked in one shift and produced 30% more power than we needed, or on non-work days such as weekends, vacations etc. and you don’t have that license to sell, that electricity goes in the network, and no one pays you for it,” Dimitrov says.
The benefit of having and producing electricity with such photovoltaic centrals is that the excess gets sold, and when companies need to buy electricity, they get it at a 10% discount. According to analyses, Dimitrov says that they saved 50% on electricity costs last year, in comparison to before the photovoltaic central was built, and they will make their investment back in 4 years.
“I was surprised in January and February, cold months without enough sunshine, but we had a good electricity output because these centrals need to cool down as well as getting sunshine. I’m happy with the investment and getting no help from the country, but I think four and a half years is a good investment return,” Dimitrov says.
The companies that invested in their own rooftop solar centrals believe the government should motivate the other companies in the country by treating them the same during building, taxes, and subsidizing. Investments of over EUR 25 million are expected in the green energy production in the Ovche Pole area, as well as opening new jobs.
Dimitrov says it’s a good idea to build and invest in photovoltaic centrals for land in Ovche Pole.
Sasho Velkovski, mayor of Sveti Nikole, says that Ovche Pole is going to be the greenest region, producing wind and solar based power. The government and the investors have signed contracts to build photovoltaic centrals on saline soil that farmers don’t benefit from working.
The solar centrals will be built in multiple locations, but most of them are around Amzibegovo Village, which is on the left side of the Veles-Shtip expressway. The windmills will be on the right side of this road. The ministry of economy is obligated to build an accessible road and to build a fence around the land where the centrals are going to be.
“The companies want to start building soon. It’s eight companies that were in the run to build near Amzibegovo. The photovoltaic centrals’ capacity will be 25 MW, and I hope that this will make Sveti Nikole the city where we have the most renewable energy sources with the highest power.
He says that other investors are interested, and the advantage of Sveti Nikole is that it has an abundance of arable land that’s not being used.
“The investors and the city intend to build photovoltaic centrals where there is a lower class of farmland,” Velkovski said. He believes that investment procedures should be simplified and that banks should approve credits for these investments.
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has announced foreign and local energy sector investments, one of them being the state 350 MW photovoltaic central where the cargo airport was supposed to be built in Shtip and Sveti Nikole. According to expert analyses, the south and southeast can produce around 1000 MW, and as Zaev says, it means a clean environment, as well as local production of electricity that could be exported abroad.
Viktorija Dimitrova-Jovanova
Translated by Dragana Knezhevikj
“Almost a year ago, Okta representatives came to me and offered me to rent the roof of our factory in order to make a 300 KW photovoltaic central to make electricity, because it’s much easier to make a central on metal roofs than on the ground, where things need to be leveled and concrete pillars need to be placed. I figured, if it pays off for them, it pays off for me even more,” Dimitrov says.
Having no experience, the two parties decided to place two 150 KW centrals, one of them on top of Moda and the second one on Okta.
“We used their expertise and knowledge to get the best offer, but we also used their permission to sell excess electricity, which is difficult if you’re a small producer. There is excess, and when we had no work due to the pandemic, we worked in one shift and produced 30% more power than we needed, or on non-work days such as weekends, vacations etc. and you don’t have that license to sell, that electricity goes in the network, and no one pays you for it,” Dimitrov says.
The benefit of having and producing electricity with such photovoltaic centrals is that the excess gets sold, and when companies need to buy electricity, they get it at a 10% discount. According to analyses, Dimitrov says that they saved 50% on electricity costs last year, in comparison to before the photovoltaic central was built, and they will make their investment back in 4 years.
“I was surprised in January and February, cold months without enough sunshine, but we had a good electricity output because these centrals need to cool down as well as getting sunshine. I’m happy with the investment and getting no help from the country, but I think four and a half years is a good investment return,” Dimitrov says.
The companies that invested in their own rooftop solar centrals believe the government should motivate the other companies in the country by treating them the same during building, taxes, and subsidizing. Investments of over EUR 25 million are expected in the green energy production in the Ovche Pole area, as well as opening new jobs.
Dimitrov says it’s a good idea to build and invest in photovoltaic centrals for land in Ovche Pole.
Sasho Velkovski, mayor of Sveti Nikole, says that Ovche Pole is going to be the greenest region, producing wind and solar based power. The government and the investors have signed contracts to build photovoltaic centrals on saline soil that farmers don’t benefit from working.
The solar centrals will be built in multiple locations, but most of them are around Amzibegovo Village, which is on the left side of the Veles-Shtip expressway. The windmills will be on the right side of this road. The ministry of economy is obligated to build an accessible road and to build a fence around the land where the centrals are going to be.
“The companies want to start building soon. It’s eight companies that were in the run to build near Amzibegovo. The photovoltaic centrals’ capacity will be 25 MW, and I hope that this will make Sveti Nikole the city where we have the most renewable energy sources with the highest power.
He says that other investors are interested, and the advantage of Sveti Nikole is that it has an abundance of arable land that’s not being used.
“The investors and the city intend to build photovoltaic centrals where there is a lower class of farmland,” Velkovski said. He believes that investment procedures should be simplified and that banks should approve credits for these investments.
Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has announced foreign and local energy sector investments, one of them being the state 350 MW photovoltaic central where the cargo airport was supposed to be built in Shtip and Sveti Nikole. According to expert analyses, the south and southeast can produce around 1000 MW, and as Zaev says, it means a clean environment, as well as local production of electricity that could be exported abroad.
Viktorija Dimitrova-Jovanova
Translated by Dragana Knezhevikj 
