North Macedonia becomes first Contracting Party to start converting coal mines to solar fields

As part of its efforts to boost renewables and fight air pollution, North Macedonia has initiated the realization of its plans to build solar PV plants on top of a coal mine site in Oslomej, Kicevo. On 11 February 2020, the government launched a public tender seeking investors to construct two photovoltaic units of up to 100 MW in total. 

The public call lasts until 8 May 2020 and the expenditure is estimated at up to EUR 80 million, to be covered in total by the investor. The contract will be signed for 35 years, after which the ownership will be transferred to a public partner. According to the tender documentation, the winner will be the bidder who offers the highest percentage of income from the electricity sold on the free market. As a benchmark for a free market is set the price on regional exchanges HUPEX and OPCOM.

Janez Kopač, Director of the Secretariat said: “With this project, North Macedonia shows an excellent example of how coal regions can be profitably transformed, providing new employment opportunities for former coal workers and driving sustainable regional development. ”