A new Albania - North Macedonia 400 kV interconnection will be a part of an East-West electricity transmission corridor between Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, and Italy. The Albanian power generation system is based mainly on hydropower, while the North Macedonian is dominantly relying on coal (85%); therefore, an interconnection between the two systems will help balance the power markets and reduce the hydrology risk in Albania.
The investment will contribute to the improvement of the reliability of the network and security of supply, creation of trading opportunities, reserve capacity sharing, emergency support, and upgrade of the transmission system in view of the new constructions of generation units and links of the regional market.
This WBIF grant funded the preparation of Detailed Designs for a 400 kV interconnection between North Macedonia and Albania (North Macedonia's part) through two components:
