The Zaev Government is deliberately running down Macedonia’s main energy producing plants as it is looking to sell them under price, said VMRO-DPMNE official Antonio Milososki, citing what Zaev promised he would do in the energy sector, and the actual outcome. Macedonia is currently facing an energy crisis, with the main plant – REK Bitola – operating at minimum capacity due to lack of coal, the other two major plants – Oslomej and Negotino are offline and reserves in hydro accumulations have been at rock bottom since the summer.

In its 2016 pre-election program, SDSM promised that it will purchase the necessary transport and digging equipment for REK Bitola and end the practice of renting the equipment from outside contractors. Since 2017, when they took power, SDSM continued the practice and in December 2020 they signed a no-bid contract worth 6.6 million EUR. The type of contract which SDSM used to label “corrupt”. This is why Macedonia is at a historic low in its corruption levels according to the Transparency International report, and why the Dutch Ambassador warned us that besides the Bulgarian veto, we should also focus on the fight against corruption, said Milososki.

Milososki, who is from Kicevo where TEC Oslomej is based, warned that the neglect for this vital industrial branch, coupled with the announcements that the Government is looking for outside “investors”, will lead to major job loss in the affected cities.

The Government is incapable of putting Oslomej back to work. They are preparing a study for the sale of TEC Negotino. This will also affect REK Bitola. Many jobs will be lost. Maybe someone close to the Government will be able to buy them for pittance, but many people in Negotino, Kicevo and Bitola will lose their jobs. What we are seeing looks like a deliberate scenario to destroy these companies, make them worthless, as was often done during the period of transition from Communism, and sell them on the cheap, Milososki warned.