North Macedonian state-owned power utility ESM said that the overhaul of unit 2 at coal-fired thermal power plant Bitola has been completed and the unit was successfully synchronized with the national electricity system.
The statement from the company said that the overhaul started on 7 September, during which a major overhaul of the unit’s turbine was performed, for the first time in past eight years. In addition, the first phase of the reconstruction of the unit’s cooling tower was carried out.
After the reconnection of unit 2, TPP Bitola’s unit 1 will be taken offline, while units 2 and 3 will continue to supply electricity to Macedonian consumers. Unit 1 will remain in the state of cold reserve and will be introduced in case of any emergencies and interruptions.
Coal-fired TPP Bitola has three units with installed capacity of 233 MW each. However, the ageing plant is prone to frequent outages of units, which cost the state hundreds of thousands of euros on a daily basis. A quick disconnection of a unit and its subsequent connection to electricity network cost the state some 200,000 euros, with additional 240,000 euros per each day of unavailability.
