Bulgaria, Macedonia To Launch 19 Mln Euro Power Interconnection Line

The 400-kilovolt powerline, which stretches over 150 kilometers, including 70 km on Macedonian territory, will provide the only link between the power grids of the two countries, Bulgaria’s Economy and Energy Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

NEK and MEPSO jointly financed the project, with the Bulgarian company providing own funds and MEPSO borrowing a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. NEK will repay the 9.5 million euro investment made by MEPSO in the construction of the powerline on Bulgarian territory with electricity supplies.

The powerline was built under an agreement for cooperation in the energy sector between the two countries. It is part of the strategy of southeastern European power grid operators to connect their infrastructure and launch a common energy market.

($ = 0.7498 euro)