North Macedonia
North Macedonia’s National Emissions Reduction Plan (NERP) includes all eight existing large combustion plants from the energy sector. Out of these, three have not been operational since the NERP entered into force, and two are gas-fired heating plants that were already in line with the 2017 LCP BREF. Therefore, the Bitola and Oslomej coal-fired power plants are the only large combustion plants that are relevant for (non)compliance with the country’s NERP, and also the only ones that needed to install pollution control equipment.
The 2020 emissions show extremely high SO2 emissions. The three coal-fired large combustion plants emitted 86,700 tonnes of SO2, which is almost 5.5 times above the national ceiling of 15,855 tonnes. The two stacks of the Bitola power plant, Bitola units B1+B2 (60,422 tonnes) and Bitola unit B3 (24,091 tonnes), remain the biggest source of SO2 emissions in the country. Emissions are somewhat lower than those in 2019, but that is only because of the lower number of operating hours. The 60,422 tonnes from Bitola B1+B2 are again among the highest in the region and are more than nine times as high as the plant’s individual ceiling of 6,585 tonnes.
Dust emissions in 2020 remained at almost the same level as those in 2018 and 2019, still more than double than the national ceiling. The Bitola B1+B2 stack was the highest emitter, with 2,688 tonnes of dust – single handedly breaching the national ceiling of 1,736 tonnes.
Coal power plants emitted 4,057 tonnes of NOx, which was significantly lower than the unrealistically high national ceiling.
The 2020 health burden from North Macedonia’s non-compliance is 294 deaths, 74,349 work days lost, 597.8 million EUR in 2020.
At a glance…
of electricity produced in 2020 was coal-based
86,700tonnes of SO2 emissions in 2020
294deaths due to exceedances in 2020
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Download reportPower plants in North Macedonia
