Is transition towards a sustainable electro-energetic system (EES) in N. Macedonia possible till 2021 through implementing economic reform policies?

Abstract

Since its independence in 1991, R. Macedonia (since February 2019 the official country name is changed to R. North Macedonia) has signed and ratified major international energy sector documents such as Energy Charter Treaty, Energy Community Treaty, and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol, which led to important changes in the energy-related national legislation. In January 2019, the Government of R. Macedonia adopted the Economic Reform Program 2019-2021. This program includes two important measures relevant to the electro-energetic system (EES): (M1) increasing the competitiveness of the electricity market, and (M2) promotion of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. The main issue analyzed herein is, whether the implementation of the afore-mentioned measures can and will assist the transition towards sustainable energy sector? By means of multi-attribute analysis with the following proposed attributes (technology, available funding, national legislation, institutional capacity, and infrastructure) in this paper, analyzed is what decision-makers should focus on when realizing the two above mentioned measures. SWOT analysis, as a structured planning method, is applied to analyze strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats arising from implementing the above mentioned two measures aiming to facilitate, promote and achieve sustainable development. The gained results from this analysis have the potential to contribute in defining new national policies and strategies assisting smooth transition towards sustainable national EES and indicating areas where essential capital investments have to be realized. Moreover, the analysis addresses the capacity building needs for further implementation of the Economic reform program 2019-2021 that supports and facilitates transition towards a more sustainable national EES.