North Macedonia’s first large-scale photovoltaic (PV) plant is already under construction, and about to be completed. The Oslomej solar project, financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), has been built alongside a coal-fired power plant located in Kichevo and is equipped with eight Ingeteam solar inverters of 1,400 kW each.

This PV plant is the first phase of a larger project that includes the construction of hundreds of MWs of PV power plants, which are planned to be announced in the upcoming months. This first phase of 11.7 MW of installed power has been built by Europower Solar, belonging to the Turkish group Girisim Elektrik A.S.

Executives from the EBRD and the national public utility ESM recently visited the facility to check the progress of the project, which is already well advanced. Future PV plants to be developed to complete the project pipeline on this location will be built on a former coal mine.

The Oslomej project is an important milestone for North Macedonia, since it marks the firm commitment of the country’s government to the energy transition towards a cleaner generation model, as reflected in the energy law approved by the government in December 2020.