Macedonian Centre for Energy Efficiency

Two companies, Turkey's Aksoy Energy and CPL Concordia of Italy, have passed the next stage in an important competition for the announced €100 million gasification of Skopje, it was announced.

Macedonia's Transport Ministry is due to select the winning private partner for the energy project in September.

If all goes to plan, construction is expected to start early next year.

Macedonian industry is not in danger of suffering from a shortage of gas as a result of the halt to construction of the South Stream pipeline in the region, experts say. 

The pipeline, set to transport Russian gas through the Black Sea to Bulgaria and then to Italy and Austria, transiting several Balkan countries, is facing difficulties.