North Macedonian electricity producer ESM has launched a tender for the design, procurement, construction, commissioning and handover of two solar plants totaling 30 MW.

The two projects are a 10 MW solar plant, Oslomej 2, located at an abandoned coal mine near North Macedonia's western border, and a 20 MW solar project, Bitola, to be developed next to the existing Bitola thermal power plant near the southern border.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is granting a €25.6 million ($27 million) finance package to ESM to fund the projects.

The EBRD says on its website that the two plants are expected to annually produce 50 GWh of electricity combined, equivalent to the energy demand of 8,500 households.

According to the tender notice, the full tender details can be accessed by logging into EBRD’s procurement portal. The deadline for applications is Jan. 17, 2025.

North Macedonia had deployed 535 MW of solar at the end of 2023, up from 190 MW at the end of the year prior, according to figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).