North Macedonia Energy Situation

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North Macedonia

Capital:

Skopje

Region:

Europe & Central Asia

Coordinates:

41.6000° N, 21.7000° E

Total Area (km²): It includes a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.

25,710

Population: It is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin.

1,827,816 (2023)

Rural Population (% of total population): It refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.

41 (2023)

GDP (current US$): It is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources.

15,763,621,848 (2023)

GDP Per Capita (current US$): It is gross domestic product divided by midyear population

8,624.29 (2023)

Access to Electricity (% of population): It is the percentage of population with access to electricity.

100.00 (2022)

Energy Imports Net (% of energy use): It is estimated as energy use less production, both measured in oil equivalents. A negative value indicates that the country is a net exporter. Energy use refers to use of primary energy before transformation to other end-use fuels, which is equal to indigenous production plus imports and stock changes, minus exports and fuels supplied to ships and aircraft engaged in international transport.

51.77 (2014)

Fossil Fuel Energy Consumption (% of total): It comprises coal, oil, petroleum, and natural gas products.

79.43 (2014)

Source: World Bank

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Introduction

North Macedonia has shown an increasing interest in renewable energy sources to diversify its energy mix, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and meet environmental targets. The government has implemented various policies and initiatives to promote the development of renewable energy projects.

North Macedonia has historically relied on hydropower for a significant portion of its electricity generation. The country has utilized its rivers to develop hydropower plants. There have been also efforts to harness wind energy, and several wind projects have been proposed or are under development. Solar energy projects, particularly solar photovoltaic (PV) installations, have gained attention. The government has implemented programs to incentivize the adoption of solar technologies.Biomass and biogas have been explored as potential sources of renewable energy.

Energy Situation

Installed electricity capacity (MW) by Technology, Grid connection and Year

Total Installed Capacity by the end of year 2022 is 1,925.52 MW

Technology	Grid Connection	Year	Capacity (MW)
Solar photovoltaic	On-grid	2022	84.93
Onshore wind energy	On-grid	2022	37.00
Renewable hydropower	On-grid	2022	689.19
Solid biofuels	On-grid	2022	2.40
Biogas	On-grid	2022	8.00
Coal and peat	On-grid	2022	824.00
Oil	On-grid	2022	29.00
Natural gas	On-grid	2022	251.00

Fig 1: Installed Electricity Capacity in Percentage

Energy Generation and Consumption

Description of data [unit]	2020	2021
Electricity production [GWh]	5.127	5.285
Gross electricity consumption [GWh]	7.748	8.172
Consumption structure [GWh] / industrial, transport, services and other	3.285	3.548
Consumption structure [GWh] / households (residential customers)	3.191	3.317

Net Import & Net Export

Description of data [unit]	2020	2021
Net imports [GWh]	2.341	4.724
Net exports [GWh]	1.011	2.134

Energy Loses

Description of data [unit]	2020	2021
Losses in transmission [%]	1.2%	1.30%
Losses in distribution [%]	13,4%	13,40%

Transmission network

Description of data [unit]	2.367	2.35
Horizontal transmission network [km]	2.367	2.35
Horizontal transmission network [km] / substation capacity [MVA]	2.7	2.7

No of consummers

Description of data [unit]	2020	2021
Electricity customers / total	876.466	888.998
Electricity customers / non-households	101.531	101.007
Eligible customers under national legislation	876.466	888.998

Internal Market

Description of data [unit]	2020	2021
Internal market / electricity supplied to active eligible customers [MWh]	2.913.592	3.176.265
Horizontal transmission network [km] / substation capacity [MVA]	45%	46%

Renewable Energy Potential

	Unit	Reference Case 2030	Remap 2030
Total installed power generation capacity	MW	2,226.00	3,311.00
Renewable capacity	MW	1,139.00	2,791.00
Hydropower	MW	824.00	824.00
Wind - onshoore	MW	200.00	589.00
Biofuels (solid, liquid, gaseous)	MW	30.00	247.00
Solar PV	MW	75.00	1,121.00
Geothermal	MW	10.00	10.00
Non-renewable capacity	MW	1,087.00	520.00
Coal	MW	800.00	233.00
Gas	MW	287.00	287.00

Technologies	Technical Potential MW
Solar PV	1,479.6
Wind	4,940.4
Hydro	1,636.0
≤ 10 MW	255.0
> 10 MW	1,381.0
Pumping
Biomass	50.0
Biogas	20.0
Solid Biomass	20.0
Biowaste	10.0
Geothermal el.	10.0
Total	8,116.0

Fig 2: Technical potential Capacity in Percentage

As we can see, if North Macedonia would use its entire technical potential,ti would increase the generating power by 321%, and would be more than autoefficent of the WB6.

Fossil Fuels

Greenhouse gas emissions

North Macedonia has calculated a potential emission reduction of 30% by 2030.

	Unit	Reference Case 2030	Remap 2030
Energy-related CO2 emissions	[Mt CO2 /yr]	9.2	6

Greenhouse gas emissions in N. Macedonia are in 2016 around 11Mtons of CO2 and in energy sector 7,66Mtons of CO2 equivalent.

Fig 3: Sources of GreenHouse gases

Key Problems of the Energy Sector

Challenges on increasing the RES share

While North Macedonia has significant renewable energy potential, there are challenges associated with increasing the share of renewable energy in the country's energy mix. Some of the challenges include:

Policy & Regulatory Framework	Inadequate or inconsistent policies and regulations can hinder the development of renewable energy projects.
Investment and Funding:	Insufficient financial resources and investment opportunities may slow down the growth of renewable energy infrastructure.
Grid Integration:	Integrating renewable energy into the existing power grid can be challenging, especially if the grid infrastructure is outdated or incompatible.
Storage Technologies:	Lack of advanced energy storage solutions can make it difficult to store and manage intermittent renewable energy sources like solar and wind.
Technological Innovation:	Limited research and development in renewable energy technologies may impede progress in adopting more efficient and cost-effective solutions.
Public Awareness and Education:	A lack of public awareness and understanding of the benefits of renewable energy can lead to resistance or lack of support.
Land Use and Environmental Concerns:	Balancing the need for renewable energy projects with environmental and land-use concerns can be a delicate issue.
Infrastructure Development:	Inadequate infrastructure, such as transmission lines and transportation, can pose challenges to the development and distribution of renewable energy.
Political Stability:	Political instability and changes in government can impact long-term renewable energy projects and policies.
Capacity Building:	A shortage of skilled professionals in the renewable energy sector may slow down project implementation and maintenance.
Interconnection with Neighboring Countries:	Developing cross-border interconnections for energy exchange can face political, technical, and regulatory challenges.
Energy Market Structure:	The existing energy market structure may not be conducive to the integration of renewable energy, affecting market dynamics.
Social Acceptance:	Local communities may resist renewable energy projects due to concerns about visual impact, noise, or changes in the landscape.
Subsidies and Incentives:	The absence of or changes in subsidies and incentives can affect the economic viability of renewable energy projects.

References

• IRENA, Renewables Readiness Assessment: North Macedonia, 2021
• IRENA, Renewable Energy Prospects for Central and South-Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity (CESEC), 2020
• IRENA, Cost-competitive renewable power generation: Potential across South East Europe, 2017
• LEGAL SOURCES ON RENEWABLE ENERGY res-legal.eu
• Energy Community, North Macedonia