REK Bitola bloc 3 to be operational after Nov. 15
Skopje, 2 November 2022 (MIA) – The transformer for the third bloc of mining-energy company (REK) Bitola, which is manufactured in a factory near Ankara in Turkey, is completed, technically tested and ready for transport, Director General of the Power Plants of Macedonia company (ESM), Vasko Kovachevski, said Wednesday.
He noted that the transformer weighs over 240 tons and should be brought to the thermal power plant by special road transport with a composition of about 54 meters long, which requires special permits from Turkey, Greece and the country.
“The company that is delivering the transformer said special documentation from Greece is to be completed and prepared, so that the transport can start. Transport will take between 10 and 12 days, and the transformer is expected to arrive at REK Bitola around November 15, which is 15 days more than we planned, but it is in line with the delivery deadline of November 15,” Kovachevski told reporters during Wednesday’s visit to REK Oslomej together with Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi.
He noted that according to the production plan, the third bloc in REK Bitola is to be operational as of November 15, while the second bloc will be undergoing overhaul for 20 days.
“We will do this the moment the transformer arrives and is connected to the system, so that bloc 3 will be reconnected to the grid to supply electricity, while bloc 2 will be switched off to complete the overhaul activity, so that all three units can to be ready for the heating season,” said Kovachevski.
He pointed out that under the current grid capacities which include blocs 1 and 2 in REK Bitola, the Oslomej thermal power plant and the hydro potential, ESM fully meets the requirements of EVN Home, EVN distribution and MEPSO, as well as the contracting authorities to which it supplies energy as tasked by the Government, i.e. health and public institutions and all those that are planned to be supplied by ESM in the coming period.
“Favorable weather conditions are in our favor, due to which consumption at this time of the year is reduced by 15 percent on a daily basis. In Negotino thermal power plant, overhaul activities are being carried out on a generator part, which should be completed by the end of this month, after which it will be put into operation at full capacity. Therefore, as of December 1, with the drop in temperatures and the rise in consumption, we will have already put into operation bloc 3 and Negotino thermal power plant,” Kovachevski added.
