Bozhinovska: Today’s energy investments will determine the country’s position in the future

Energy, Mining and Mineral Resources Minister Sanja Bozhinovska said that energy infrastructure planning is carried out with a multi-year perspective, at a time when energy flows are reshaping the map of Europe.

During the presentation of the first National Hydrogen Study, she said the document goes beyond treating hydrogen as a new energy source. According to her, the study serves as a guide for developing the infrastructure needed to produce, transmit and use clean hydrogen.

Bozhinovska said that Macedonia’s position between Greece and Serbia, as well as its links to the markets of Central Europe, create an opportunity for the country to take on a new role in the pan-European hydrogen network. To take advantage of this opportunity, she stressed, physical connections, harmonized rules, stable institutions and long-term regional cooperation are needed.

The minister also referred to meetings held in the United States, including one at the White House, where a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the energy sector was signed. She also mentioned the quadrilateral ministerial meeting held in Athens on May 15, where it was decided that Macedonia and Serbia would be included in the expansion of the Vertical Gas Corridor.

According to Bozhinovska, the interconnectors with Greece and Serbia are not being built solely to diversify the supply of natural gas. They are also being designed as lines that can be adapted for the transport of hydrogen.

The section of the interconnector with Greece that runs through Macedonian territory, from Negotino to the border, is 67 km long. In total, the project to Nea Mesimvria will extend for 123 km. Its planned capacity is up to 2.8 billion cubic meters of gas per year, a figure that exceeds domestic needs and gives Macedonia the opportunity to serve as a transit country.

Bozhinovska also spoke about the just transition project at REK Bitola. As part of the project, the new “REK Bitola 1” cogeneration plant is being prepared, supported with $2.4 million by the World Bank. The facility will operate on natural gas, while it is planned that it could be adapted for the use of hydrogen in the future.

She said that reforms in the energy sector had received a positive assessment from the European Commission. Among the measures mentioned were the creation of a system for managing the just transition and the adoption of a three-year plan for renovating central government administration buildings.

“From a state dependent on a single entry point, Macedonia is becoming a country connected to more directions and sources. From an observer of regional developments, we are becoming active participants. This is the infrastructure we are building today and the energy role we are creating for tomorrow,” Minister Bozhinovska concluded.