Skopje, 8 July 2024 (MIA) - The more renewable energy sources, the more integration with neighbors and energy efficiency, the cheaper the price of electricity in the country, but the more coal is used, the higher the price will be in the future, Director of the Energy Community Secretariat Artur Lorkowski said in an interview with MIA. He points out that these are the simple choices, noting that this is a decision that the Government must make soon providing a strategy to the Secretariat.    

Asked about his expectations in terms of the price of electricity in the future, Lorkowski said that North Macedonia is a market economy country, and the basic rule in market economy is that the price has to cover the cost of production. 

"Following this example, the more renewables in the system, the cheaper the electricity will be. The more integration with neighboring countries the lower the balancing cost, the lower the prices in the future. Lower demand due to energy efficiency means lower prices in the future. These are the simple choices. But the more coal in your energy, the higher the prices. So, at some point you have to make a decision. This is exactly what we expect from your Government, to provide a strategy to the Secretariat for 2030 and explain what would be the strategy for decarbonization, or the capacity of renewables, the vision for market integration, what is the future of generation capacities based on coal. This is a decision your Government must make soon," Lorkowski told MIA. 

As regards the path to European energy integration, Lorkowski says the country has done half of the job.  A lot has been done in terms of electricity, but what has to be improved is gas and decarbonization. 

He notes that the reason for his visit is to find a way with the new Government and Parliament to establish a work program for months and years to come, how to achieve progress in the future.  

Photo and video: MIA