The government is close to making a decision to implement the Chebren and Galishte hydropower project independently, without the involvement of a private partner. According to the Prime Minister Christian Mickoskithe investment would reach 1.5 billion euros, including financing costs.
He pointed out that the analyzes show an internal rate of return above 10 percent, which, according to the Government, makes the project economically justified.
In addition to the energy aspect, Mickoski emphasized that the project also has strategic significance due to climate change and the need for additional water reserves. According to him, the reservoirs could contribute to the irrigation of about 60,000 hectares of agricultural land in the Tikvesh region.
– If we manage to form a union of international financial institutions, and the talks are in that direction, then it is realistic to expect that next year we will lay the foundation stone of this, I would say, historic project. There are many reasons for which I and my colleagues in the Government and in the company AD ESM, formerly ELEM, believe that we should try, in popular terms, to grit our teeth and build this project ourselves. Considering the climate changes, I am convinced that not only Macedonia as a country, but also in the region will need two tanks for drinking water. And those are exactly those reservoirs, that type of reservoirs, so the production of electricity may not be the primary challenge, perhaps a tertiary or fourth in a row, said Prime Minister Mickoski.
The Prime Minister added that the area has potential for the development of data centers, and the state is in the final phase of considering the model for the independent implementation of the project.
The next step is the preparation of the necessary documentation and the selection of a contractor according to international standards for the construction of such infrastructure facilities.
