The state owned ELEM/ESM energy company awarded a contract to the “Markovski” company to mine coal in its Bitola mine over the next year of 2022. The contract is worth 18 million EUR and the company is tasked with providing 1.45 million tons of coal.

REK Bitola, Macedonia’s main electricity producer, is working at minimum capacity after years of corruption and mismanagement left it without coal reserves at the start of the heating season. This latest contract is also suspicious, as it was awarded through an emergency procedure. The company insists that it was forced to act in this way, and that they still managed to receive offers from three other potential contractors, and to select the most favorable offer. ELEM is also trying to procure coal from Kosovo.