CONSTRUCTION OF FLOATING PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PLANTS IN THE AREA OF JSC ESM RESERVOIRS

As a serious, socially responsible company as well as the largest production capacity of electricity in state ownership, JSC ESM fully follows the Strategy for the development of energy in the Republic of North Macedonia until 2040. Therefore, the company continuously advocates for the construction and realization of strategic capital projects for the production of electricity from renewable energy sources, which have a major impact on the economic development of the country as a whole, as well as on the protection of the environment. In this context, the problem elaborated in this paper is very current and aims to address the importance of the construction of the four floating photovoltaic power plants, within the company, with a total installed capacity of 312 MW, and their influence on the energy transition, that is, in the complete replacement of electricity production from coal, with production from solar energy. Apart from the production of electricity from solar energy, these photovoltaic power plants are of great importance because they are not built and do not occupy fertile land, but are built in the area of the reservoirs of the hydroelectric power plants. In general, the investment of JSC ESM in green energy has an important role and a great influence on the development strategy and in creating sustainable competitiveness of the company. All this will allow the company to be the most important and leading factor in the liberalized market, especially in the time after the great energy crisis in the country and beyond.