Angjusev: Macedonia has made huge steps in energy sector reforms in one year

Macedonia has made huge steps in energy sector reforms in one year, Deputy PM for Economic Affairs Koco Angjusev said at the informal meeting of ministers of energy, industry and trade, organised by the Energy Community Secretariat, which was held Saturday in Durnstein, Austria.

The meeting, which was also attended by Economy Minister Kresnik Bektesi, was focused on talks regarding 2030 climate and energy policy of the Energy Community.

Angjusev reminded on his first trip aboard after being appointed Deputy PM which was last year’s informal meeting at which EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn and Director of Energy Community Secretariat Janez Kopac presented the results of implementation of energy sector reforms of the countries in the region, whereat Macedonia showed the weakest results.

“One of the most important tasks of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia in the past year was to continue the energy sector reforms and we succeeded in that. We worked hard in creating a new Law on Energy, adopted by the Parliament in May, which incorporates European directives and regulations deriving from the third energy package. Today, Macedonia has a modern, European Energy Law that fosters competitiveness and gives citizens the right to choose a supplier of energy, something that previously did not exist,” Angjusev said.

Angjusev also underlined that the new Law on Energy allows increasing the production of electricity from renewable sources, at competitive prices, without impairing the stability of the power system and not affecting of electricity prices to end-users.

Additionally, he underlined that we will work to use the water capacities in the country, where according to the analyzes there is an opportunity to build additional 60 small hydro power plants on the Macedonian rivers, of which 30 are already in the construction phase.

Representatives of the EC Directorate-General for Energy, Renewable Energy Agency, Energy Community Secretariat and senior officials of respective ministries of Austria, Kosovo, Ukraine, Georgia, Serbia and Montenegro attend the meeting.