Macedonia's energy consumption
North Macedonia, situated in the central Balkan Peninsula, has a diverse energy consumption landscape primarily reliant on hydropower and fossil fuels. The country has a population of slightly over 2 million and has seen significant expansion in its energy sector since the 1960s, particularly in hydropower development, which constituted about 24.6% of its total electricity capacity in 2022. The backbone of the electricity generation network is the Bitola thermal power plant, which produces 60-70% of the country's electricity. In addition to hydropower, North Macedonia generates electricity from various sources, including wind (2%), biomass and waste (0.9%), and solar power (0.6%).
Electricity consumption in 2022 totaled approximately 2.153 million kilowatt-hours, with the largest demand originating from the services and household sectors, followed by transport and industry. The restructuring of the energy sector in 2005 led to the establishment of multiple entities responsible for electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. The country also imports a significant portion of its gas, primarily from Russia, and is exploring alternative sources through potential connections to liquified natural gas (LNG) terminals and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline. Overall, North Macedonia possesses a notable potential for renewable energy, including geothermal, solar, biomass, and wind resources, which could play a critical role in its energy future.
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Macedonia's energy consumption
Official Name: North Macedonia.
Summary: Formerly part of Yugoslavia, North Macedonia is a central European country that depends on hydropower and fossil fuel energy. Before the country gained its independence, it was known as Macedonia.
North Macedonia is located on the central Balkan Peninsula, and its estimated population slightly exceeded 2 million inhabitants in 2022. The country shares its borders with Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo, and Serbia. North Macedonia had only one hydropower storage and several small run-of-the-river and coal-fired power plants prior to World War II. Its energy sector has expanded rapidly since the 1960s. However, the country remains heavily dependent on imports.
The late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s saw the rapid development of North Macedonia’s hydropower sector, resulting in the construction of several dams in the western part of the country. Hydropower accounted for approximately 24.6 percent of total installed electricity capacity in 2022.
As far as fossil fuel energy is concerned, the first of the three blocks of the Bitola thermal power plant—the backbone of the country’s electricity generation network, responsible for approximately 60–70 percent of total production—was put into operation in 1982. Two smaller thermal electricity generation plants had already been commissioned in 1978 and 1980, the former notable for burning heavy fuel oil. A 230-megawatt gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant in the city of Skopje began operation in 2010. The plant is partly owned by the same company that generates heat for the city of Skopje; the city’s district heating system was built in several stages, starting in the 1960s, and had a capacity of 487 megawatts for generation of hot water and 26 megawatts for steam production by the early 2000s. It should be emphasized that North Macedonia also has a significant renewable energy potential in the form of geothermal, solar, biomass, and wind resources. In 2022, about 25 percent of electricity was generated using hydroelectricity, 2 percent was generated using wind power, 0.9 percent was generated using biomass and waste, and 0.6 percent was generated with solar power. The country’s total electricity consumption in 2022 was 2.153 million kilowatt-hours. Services and households account for the largest share of energy demand, followed by transport and industry.
Following the restructuring, unbundling, and partial privatization of the formerly state-owned and integrated monopoly Elektrostopanstvo na Makedonija (ESM) in 2005, three companies (the state-owned ELEM, MEPSO, and the private EVN) took charge of, respectively, electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. The OKTA Refinery, owned by Hellenic Petroleum, dominates the oil derivatives and gas production market, even though another privately owned company, Makpetrol, is the largest distributor of such products. North Macedonia imported 274.928 million cubic meters of its gas in 2022, with most coming from Russia. The GA-MA company was established by the North Macedonian government as a public enterprise for the supply, transport, and distribution of natural gas. The government has also explored the potential of sourcing gas from liquified natural gas (LNG) terminals in Greece or by connecting to the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline.
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