The reason why our energy bills are so high is the crime and theft in the REK Bitola coal plant, said VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski. As a former director of the state owned ELEM energy generating plant, Mickoski said that energy bills could be returned to the pre-crisis levels if Macedonia restores domestic production to where it used to be.

We have capacity to produce as much energy as we did 7, 8, 9 years ago. We are down more than half. The reason for this is the high level of stealing from the system. If we worked honestly, without corrupt contracts for digging of coal and procuring heating oil, we would produce as much as we used to, Mickoski said.

Macedonia is facing a major energy crisis with domestic production at a very low level after REK Bitola, the main coal plant in the country, was left without sufficient reserves of coal for the winter.