Macedonia is about to give up participation in Belene N-plant as this variant is not included in the National Energy Strategy, commissioned by that country's government and developed by the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts. The document judges Macedonian participation in the nuclear plant project as the result of political, not expert evaluation.

"The case of Belene was above all one of a desire of some Bulgarian politicians rather than reality," said Academician Gligor Kanevce, who headed the group which prepared Macedonia's National Energy Strategy. The document will be tabled for discussion at one of the forthcoming meetings of the Macedonian government.

In an interview for "Dnevnik" daily Kanevce pointed out that Bulgaria has already closed the financial scheme of the Belene n-plant project, the state taking a 51 per cent share and leaving the remaining 49 per cent for investor RWE. "There is no place for a third investor here," the academician said, adding that "now we do not have the capacity to pay for electricity which we will receive after five years."

As an alternative, Kanevce suggests that Macedonia build its own n-plant in the mountainous region of Mariovo.

Source: BTA