Brussels – The European Commission has decided to allocate more than 380 million euros for the implementation of 133 new projects across Europe within the framework of the Life program for activities related to the environment and climate, including 1.2 million for ensuring energy efficiency of existing residential buildings in North Macedonia.
The project is part of North Macedonia’s efforts to align its own with the EU’s climate and energy goals by 2030 and aims to provide a system of services for the renovation of residential buildings to ensure their energy efficiency.
During the pilot phase, the renovation of 200 houses and apartments in Skopje, Kumanovo, and Kochani will be subsidized with the aim of providing energy savings and reducing emissions of harmful gases. The EU project foresees nearly 1.20 out of the total needed over 1.26 million euros for its implementation, with the deadline for completion being September 30, 2027.
The renovation of existing residential buildings in North Macedonia is proceeding at a pace of about one percent of their total number, which is far below the recommended EU renovation rate of five percent.
The project is expected to overcome challenges related to the lack of skills, capacities, and finances for implementing the complex and ambitious plan for the transition to clean energy. The project is expected to stimulate investments of around three million euros, save primary energy of 3.75 gigawatt hours annually, generate renewable energy of 2,976 gigawatt hours annually, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3584.75 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. (October 21)