Two weeks before the start of the heating season, it is not known whether the residents of Skopje will have heating
Two weeks before the official start of the 2023/24 heating season, some of the users of heating in Skopje are not sure that the thermal energy will reach their homes. The ESM pipes are standing next to the Belasica bridge on the Vardar quay and it is not yet known when they will be installed.
The ESM has repeated several times that they are waiting for permission from the City of Skopje to install the heat pipe under the bridge, and Mayor Danela Arsovska, on the other hand, said in a statement to the media these days that in order for the bridge to be opened in its entirety, the lower part needs to be repaired, which she emphasized is only cosmetic disorder.
According to the legal regulations, the heating season can start from October 1st if the forecast mean outside temperature for the next day is equal to or lower than 12 degrees Celsius according to the data from the Administration for Hydrometeorological Affairs.
"In order for the heating season in buildings connected to the central heating system to start on time and for the delivery of heat energy to proceed smoothly, it is necessary for consumers to complete the interventions on the internal installation and immediately report the same to the Care Center consumers of ESM Supply. At the same time, Communities of Owners or Facility Managers need to provide unhindered access for officials to the heating station, as well as ensure constant power supply of the heating station with electricity (paid electricity bills for the heating station and functional electrical installation)".
The company has not yet said if and when it will install the pipes on the Belasica bridge, for which it does not have a permit from the City of Skopje. They have repeatedly said that they are ready to install the new pipeline, but Mayor Arsovska claims that it is their obligation to repair the bridge first, and then to install the pipes. She denied that she was responsible for remediation and announced that she would provide written proof that ESM had undertaken that obligation.
For the third day, there has been no reaction from ESM as to whether the information posted by Arsovska is correct.
