VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski responded to Government attacks and clarified the position of the party, which blocked in the Parliament a loan of 100 million EUR from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, meant for the energy sector in Macedonia. Mickoski said that the conditions of the loans were for Macedonia to shut down its key coal plant REK Bitola by 2027, and another smaller plant – TEC Oslomej – as early as next year, which he said would have destroyed the Macedonian economy and any chance for energy independence.

The loan was going to provide 55 million EUR for import of electricity, which are not needed if the domestic capacities work properly, as well as 24 million EUR to cover the loans for the suspicious public procurement. In exchange, our obligations are that we close down TEC Oslomej by the end of 2023, and to close REK Bitola by the end of 2027, while we install a new 210MW production facility by the end of 2025. Three years before its due date, this facility is nowhere to be seen. So we blocked the law to save 4,000 direct jobs and at least twice as many indirect jobs. We blocked it to save the pillar of Macedonian sovereignty – REK Bitola – from being shut down. And we will continue with our active blockade to save Macedonia and the citizens of Macedonia, Mickoski said.

Former Prime Minister and SDSM leader Zoran Zaev openly promoted the idea that the key coal plant in Macedonia needs to be shut down. This likely contributed to the significant drop in production last winter from which the ELEM/ESM company still hasn’t recovered, and which led to costly imports and energy price hikes.