Nikolajcho Nikolov: There is electricity for companies but it is very expensive
The problem for the companies is not to buy electricity, but to pay for it, Nikolajcho Nikolov, former president of the Macedonian Mining Association and head of the Buchim copper mine, explained to Sloboden Pecat, who retired this summer, but he follows the energy market since the beginning of liberalization in 2007.
The Buchim mine is in the group of companies that were the first to go to the open market.
- "Buchim" procures electricity from "EDS". We do not have a long-term contract, but procurement and prices are on a daily basis. In another period it proved to be a good solution, but now it is very bad. The price of electricity that we procure now is 3 to 4 times higher than last year. It participates with 20 percent in the final cost price - says Nikolov.
He points out that the mines so far manage to somehow produce at this price.
- The situation is clear, who can pay will work. But it will not be a surprise if some businessmen give up the contracts for electricity supply and stop the process - says Nikolov.