The North Macedonian government has approved the prospective Cebren hydropower plant. A project was awarded to Greek power utility PPC and construction firm Archirodon, in partnership for its development, energypress reports.
PPC and Archirodon submitted the only complete offer to a tender staged by the North Macedonian government’s environment ministry for the construction and operation of the 333-MW Cebren hydropower plant and operation of an existing 116-MW Tikves hydropower station, also in the Crna Reka river.
The Cebren hydropower plant, planned to offer annual electricity output of between 1,000 and 1-200 GWh, will involve Macedonian state-owned power producer ESM as a minority partner with a 33 percent stake. The project’s cost is estimated to reach one billion euros.
The PPC-Archirodon consortium must establish an agreement with ESM within three months, before beginning work on the project, expected to take seven years. The consortium also needs to complete a relevant study and secure necessary permits.
A total of 13 previous tenders held since 2006 for the Cebren hydropower plant had all proved fruitless.
