January 11 (SeeNews) - North Macedonia's government said it plans to launch projects for the construction of two gas-hydrogen power plants with a combined capacity of up to 1.1 GW.
The government will seek investors to build a 800 MW power plant in Negotino and a 250-300 MW power plant in Bitola, it said in a press release earlier this week.
Power utility Elektrani na Severna Makedonija (ESM) will start negotiations for a potential strategic investor and possible cooperation for the realisation of the projects, the government added.
No further details were provided.
Currently, coal-fired power plant REK Bitola accounts for over 72% of North Macedonia's total energy production. The government initially planned to close down REK Bitola by 2027 as part of its commitment to phase out coal-fired power by that year. However, due to the energy crisis, the closure date was postponed to 2028 or later.