Energy and gas prices run wild, Mickoski assures: "We will have a stable winter"
European markets register spikes, the Government in Skopje announces mechanisms to protect households.
Energy prices are rising again: on some European exchanges the price of electricity reached up to 200 euros per megawatt-hour, while, as market reports note, European natural gas "surpassed $79 per megawatt-hour" — the highest level since the end of 2022.
Why prices are rising and what follows
Experts point out that this is primarily a matter of intertwined geopolitical risks and a tightening of LNG supply, which created an additional risk premium and pushed buyers into more intense bidding. That reduces the usual gap between summer and winter prices and makes normal stockpiling of storage facilities more difficult.
In the domestic context, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski tried to calm expectations. Responding to a journalist's question, he said: "We will have a stable winter" and announced that the Government is working on a new methodology intended to try to keep the current electricity price or to lower it.
In Europe, preparations for winter this time are proceeding with difficulties: gas storage facilities that are normally filled in summer remained half-full and provide less room for maneuver if demand suddenly rises.
Additionally, extreme summer temperatures and drought weakened local electricity production — some hydro and thermal power plants were forced to reduce or shut down capacities, which further increased market prices.
Whether this will remain a short-term price shock or develop into a long-term crisis will depend on the duration of geopolitical tensions, the speed of stabilization of international markets, and on how much room and reserves the country has to respond to another external shock.
Photo: press material from the event
