The North Macedonia government announced that it has signed contracts with Bulgarian solar energy group Solarpro Holding and the Turkish Fortis Energy Electric for the construction of 100 MW of solar power plants. The projects will be located at the site of the old mine in Oslomej. The estimated cost of the project is Euro 70 million and the construction is expected to open 100 new jobs in the country.
The two companies will build develop one solar powerplant each with an installed capacity of 50 MW under a public-private partnership (PPP) with state-owned electricity company ESM. The agreements have a 35-year term, after which the ownership of the solar parks will be transferred to ESM. Under the PPPs, ESM will receive 18.5 per cent of the electricity produced by Fortis Energy Electric and 18 per cent of the electricity generated by Solarpro’s plant.
Currently, Solarpro supplies over 450 companies in North Macedonia with electricity and expects to reach over 80 MW installed capacity in North Macedonia in two years. In 2020, Solarpro won a tender for the construction of a solar power plant of 10 MW in the village of Manastirec, Makedonski Brod.
Solarpro Holding was established in 2007 and currently employs over 1,000 people. Across Europe, the company has 150 MWp projects in construction and 500 MWp + projects in development. The company is a leader in offering long-term power purchase agreements, long-term lease agreements for Solar as a Service, and various other solutions for corporate sourcing of green energy and improving Environmental, Social, and Governance ratings.