SKOPJE (Macedonia), August 1 (SeeNews) – Macedonian state-owned power producer ELEM said its Vrutok hydro power plant (HPP) was reconnected to the grid after being overhauled as part of a wider upgrade project worth 36.6 million euro ($49 million).
Vrutok's upgrade marks the end of the second stage of the rehabilitation of ELEM’s hydro power system, which increases its installed capacity by 18.3 megawatts (MW) and its annual production by 50 gigawatt hours (GWh), ELEM said in a statement posted on its website on Thursday.
The installed capacity of HPP Vrutok, which is part of the hydro accumulation system in Mavrovo, in the country’s west, was increased to 41.4 MW from 37.5 MW.
The project was financed with a loan from Germany’s KfW Bank.
ELEM said last year it signed contracts with Austrian company Andritz Hydro and Slovenia's Etra Kolektor for the upgrade of two HPPs, Vrutok and Raven, worth a total of 21.5 million euro.
ELEM operates two thermal and eight hydro power plants.
($=0.7604 euro)