400 kV line with North Macedonia - Tender opens for Macedonian segment, increase in cross-border transmission capacity
The Macedonian Transmission System Operator, MEPSO, has announced the international tender for the construction of the Ohrid-Bitola power line, part of the 400 KV Albania-North Macedonia interconnection line. The tender was announced on the procurement website of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, while the opening of the procedure is considered an important step towards the completion of the East-West regional energy corridor, connecting Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Italy via an underwater cable.
Meanwhile, the Albanian part is in a more advanced phase, as works have started in December 2023. The project includes the construction of a new 400 kV transmission line between Elbasan and Qafë – Thanë, the construction of a 400 kV transmission line between Elbasan and Fier, the construction of the 400 kV Elbasan 3 substation and the expansion of the Fier substation, divided into 2 implementation contracts.
Its total cost is 70,131,000 Euros and is financed by the German Government through the KfW bank, the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) and the OST. More specifically, 50 million Euros are a loan provided by KfW, 14 million Euros are a grant from the WBIF, 1.131 million Euros are a grant from the WBIF and the German-Albanian Development Cooperation and 5 million Euros are from the OST.
According to the Transmission System Operator, with the commissioning of the 400kV Albania-North Macedonia line, the total cross-border capacity of the Albanian transmission system with neighboring countries will increase to 1500 MW. Also, being part of the infrastructure for the 8th European Corridor, this project will create opportunities for connection to the Italian network through underwater lines. On the other hand, according to the OST, this investment will have an impact on the development of the 400 kV network in the area of southern Albania.
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