North Macedonia to launch tender for the construction of solar projects

The Government of North Macedonia has launched a public call for the construction 62 MW solar power plants, 35 MW to be built on state land and 27 MW on private land, with feed-in premiums awarded for 15 years.

The projects in the pipeline include two 5 MW each in two locations near Makedonski Brod, and one location for 10 MW, one for 5 MW, two for 2 MW and six for 1 MW near Sveti Nikola. The country has solar power plants with an installed capacity of 18.4 MW, and the new model envisages the construction of another 200 MW by the end of 2021. The state will publish a public call and define the ceiling price for the premiums, while investors will submit their bids in an electronic auction.

The government anticipates about EUR4 million (US$4.54 million) is needed for subsidies when all 200 MW solar power plants are built and will conduct all administrative procedures for the investments, such as land conversion, building permits, and connections to the power network, which has been a major problem so far, in order to speed up the construction.

The first draft of the tendering documentation by the Government of North Macedonia has been prepared with the technical assistance of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).