North Macedonia has about 280 sunny days throughout the year, which makes the idea of gradually phasing out coal from use seem like an easy task, but as a result of the energy crisis, the opposite tendencies are currently taking place, old coal-fired power plants are releasing huge amounts of toxic emissions into the air, and new lignite mines are even being opened, said Euronews in an article dedicated to the transition to green energy in the country.
Despite promises that N. Macedonia will become the first “coal-free country” in the Western Balkans, the country has repeatedly postponed the deadline for closing coal-fired power plants.
Euronews reports that as much as 47 percent of the electricity in the country is produced from lignite, while two thermal power plants TPP Bitola and TPP Oslomej are active.
The article says that initially N. Macedonia planned to completely phase out coal by 2027, but the energy crisis changed the plans and now the deadline for achieving this goal has been extended to 2030.
