Mickoski: Kazancı Holding to invest EUR 1 billion in gas power plants, gas, and heat grids
Turkey-based Kazancı Holding plans to invest EUR 1 billion in gas power plants, gas and heat distribution grids, Prime Minister of North Macedonia Hristijan Mickoski said. The company operates in the energy sector under the Aksa brand.
Hristijan Mickoski said Aksa Energy is a leading Turkish company in the energy sector with power plants with a capacity of 3,500 MW in eight countries. Kazancı Holding operates in 22 countries on four continents.
The talks are continuing, he stressed and added he is sure that soon there will be an agreement and concrete steps in the implementation of the plan. Of note, in November the prime minister gave a hint about a possible investment of EUR 1 billion in gas power plants.
Mickoski said gas power plants are a long-term solution for air pollution and that the government is negotiating with investors interested in the construction of cogeneration facilities.
The gas, and heat grid connection would be free of charge for households
The two sides are considering cogeneration plants of 500 MW in combined capacity. They would produce 4.1 TWh of electricity and 720 GWh of heat per year.
The construction of a distribution grid for gas and heat is also being discussed with the Kazancı Holding company, according to Mickovski.
In his words, the connection to the gas and heat grids for households will be free of charge. The price of natural gas for households will be significantly lower than the price on the market, he added.
Mickoski stressed the investment is important not only for a long-term solution for air pollution but also for the strength of the country’s energy sector. The prime minister claimed Kazancı Holding wouldn’t receive any new subsidies except from the regular ones for all the investors.
The contract for the gas pipeline with Greece to be signed in March
North Macedonia currently has only one gas pipeline, from Bulgaria, for gas imports. The signing of the contract for an interconnection with Greece is expected very soon and the memorandum was signed for the connection with Serbia.
In April 2021 the government signed a memorandum with Greece on the supply of natural gas via the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Alexandroupolis.
Mickoski said that even with the existing gas pipeline capacity, there is free capacity to implement the investment with Kazancı Holding.
Kazancı: Over the years, we will invest EUR 1 billion
The contract for the construction of the interconnector with Greece will be signed in March, he announced. In his words, it will add three billion cubic meters of natural gas per year.
Cemil Kazancı, President of the Board of Directors of Kazancı Holding, revealed that they discussed potential investments in the production of electricity and heat, as well as in gas pipelines.
The total planned investment over the years will be EUR 1 billion and it will facilitate the country’s safer and more sustainable supply of electricity and heat, Kazancı asserted.
