Skopje, 28 September 2022 (MIA) – The Government’s Economic-Energy Council has decided to launch a procedure for issuance of a license to Power Plants of North Macedonia (ESM) for production of heating energy from the regulated market, in line with the Law on Energy, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski late on Wednesday. PM Kovachevski told an extraordinary press conference that heating will be available to Skopje citizens as of October 15. “The Government’s Economic-Energy Council has passed decisions that relate to the safe and stable supply with energy resources in the coming period. I urge the City of Skopje, the Energy Regulatory Commission and the Commission for Protection of Competition to swiftly approve the decision and open the way for ESM’s management of the heating plants. Funds for the required heating energy resources have been secured,” said Kovachevski. The PM added that small consumers will get secure, stable and continued delivery of electricity. “We have subsidized 80 percent of the electricity bills for 650,000 households, whereas over 70,000 companies and other legal entities, the so-called small consumers, will get subsidized electricity that is three times cheaper than the one on the stock market. In addition, we decided to put all primary and secondary schools on the regulated market, regardless of the fact this obligation is in the jurisdiction of municipalities,” said Kovachevski and added that all public health institutions would also receive electricity from ESM, at a price that is much lower than the one on the stock market.