Skopje, 6 September 2022 (MIA) - The government in the coming period will be fully committed to preparing all state resources for maximum production of energy at home, Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said Monday after the Security Council session. The decision was endorsed by all participants in today's session of the Security Council, he added speaking to reporters. According to him, the goal is all citizens, students, small, medium-sized and micro businesses to be provided with the lowest possible electricity prices and supplied with heating energy maintaining the current price, the cheap tariff and 24-hour availability in the coming crisis-hit period, from October 1 until the spring of 2023. The production plan of ESM, the power producing company, will increase by 25 percent this year, Kovachevski said. There are risks however, he noted, of possible outages due to the equipment in some blocks being almost 50 years old and also in relation to prices around the world, possible bans for export of natural gas and other raw materials for electricity production. This plan was made in order to prevent restrictions, said Kovachevski. "This coming autumn and winter, next spring will be likely the hardest in the post-war Macedonian state. We will get through it together. The plan has been agreed and presented and works are already under way to implement it. Efforts are also under way for a new energy plan for next spring and for a plan for maximum food production increase," said the PM insisting the country is prepared for what is coming. Speaking at the same news conference, President Stevo Pendarovski said he had convened the Security Council because he thought it was important to listen to all relevant authorities on the issue affecting the country. "It's no secret that a difficult winter is ahead. After the pandemic, now we're facing a great energy and economic crisis. The prime minister and the government ministers briefed about the analyses and projections for the coming season, the steps taken so far involving skyrocketing power prices, and also about the measures designed to support households and businesses," Pendarovski. In addition to the members of the Security Council, held at the President's office, Deputy PM for Economic Affairs Fatmir Bytyqi, Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi and Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi were also in attendance. https://youtu.be/EngkrKQCw_U