OKTA refinery restart review
North Macedonia is examining whether crude-oil refining could resume at the OKTA refinery near Skopje, more than a decade after the site stopped processing crude. The facility has since shifted to fuel trading, storage and logistics. The proposal is at an early evaluation stage, with no final decision reported.
The government has asked OKTA, which is owned by Greek energy group Helleniq Energy, to assess the technical and commercial feasibility of restarting refinery operations. A restart would be intended to enable domestic production of diesel and other petroleum products rather than relying predominantly on imports. Any outcome depends on further work and subsequent approvals.
Domestic output and potential regional sales
If refining were restarted, North Macedonia could produce diesel and other petroleum products domestically instead of depending mainly on imported supplies. The assessment also considers that surplus output could be sold into neighbouring markets, including Kosovo and southern Serbia. The scope of any potential exports would be linked to the availability of products from a restarted operation.
The ability to proceed would require a separate investment decision beyond the current feasibility review. That process would include a technical assessment of existing equipment and the capital required to return production units to service. Operating costs and competitiveness versus imported products from larger regional refineries are also part of the considerations.
Pipeline link with Greece reopened in 2026
The restart discussion follows the reopening earlier in 2026 of a petroleum-products pipeline connecting the Skopje area with infrastructure at the Greek port of Thessaloniki after around 13 years of inactivity. The restored connection improves fuel logistics between Greece and North Macedonia. However, it does not by itself determine whether crude processing at OKTA can be commercially viable.
OKTA remains North Macedonia’s principal fuel supplier even though refining ended in 2013. After the cessation of crude processing, its business focused on importing, storing and distributing finished petroleum products. In this context, the current proposal involves evaluating whether refinery operations can return alongside existing supply activities .
