'We're Energy Stable and Ready for Winter,' Says Mickoski — Meanwhile ESM Spends €8 Million in One Week
The prime minister assures that the state energy companies are ready for the coming winter and that the global energy crisis won't affect production, yet the same week ESM announced additional procurement worth €8 million.
Prime Minister Christijan Mickoski said the country is "energy stable and ready for winter," assuring that the global energy crisis will not affect domestic electricity production. According to official statements, the state energy companies are prepared for the coming winter period, with fuel prices also expected to fall, accompanied by a new budget rebalance.
The same week, however, ESM (Electricity Plants of North Macedonia) announced additional procurement worth €8 million — a cost that, according to critical reports, follows a series of earlier procurements already "shocking the public." Additionally, reports on the Bitola thermal plant suggest the facility is "losing pace" relative to the shift toward renewable energy sources, hinting at a structural challenge behind the official statements of stability.
The combination of official optimism about winter readiness and parallel reports of high additional costs at ESM shows that "energy stability" isn't a free category — behind the assurances that production is secured lie concrete and growing costs that have not yet been fully explained to the public.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 5, 2026
