100 years since the first hydroelectric plant on the Pena River began operation

This November marks 100 years since the first hydroelectric plant on the Pena River near Tetovo began operating. Finished and commissioned in November 1926, the plant was the earliest facility of its kind built on Macedonian territory and played a key role in powering local industry; part of its output was carried by transmission line to Skopje.

From an idea to a record-speed build

The idea to use the Pena for power dates back to around 1911–1912, proposed by several prominent local citizens. As Dr. Branislav Svetozarević has documented, "The idea to build a hydroelectric plant turned into an initiative in 1913, when the Vardar part of Macedonia became part of the Kingdom of Serbia. At that time a joint-stock company was founded with initial capital of 100,000 dinars." War interrupted the effort, but the plan survived into the postwar years.

In 1921 the Tetovo Industrial Joint-Stock Company (TIAD) was formed to raise the larger sums needed. The shareholders recorded in their petition: "At the end of February 1921 a public meeting was held at the 'Belgrade' hotel, where it was unanimously requested that a joint-stock company be opened in Tetovo which would use the fall of the Pena river to obtain electric power, which would be used for lighting the town and homes, but also to raise local industry. By investing all our efforts in this work, we succeeded in buying up 95 percent of the capital from Tetovo, and only 5 percent outside Tetovo. Today a paid-in net capital of 1,000,000 dinars is registered," they said.

Their technical plan foresaw a plant with 3,000 horsepower capacity under low-water conditions. As the shareholders wrote: "With this living and uninterrupted force of over 3,000 horses, we will be able not only to light the town and all homes, for which we need 400–500 horsepower, but we will also be able to use it for factories, fulling mills, mills, small domestic industry, electric railways and other uses. In continuous operation we will be able to obtain not 3,000, but 9,000 harnessed horses, if it is taken into account that one horse cannot work more than eight hours a day. These 9,000 horses nobody will feed except our river Pena." After selling shares and securing funds, construction began in 1925 and the plant was completed in record time.

When it opened in November 1926 the plant's installed capacity was 2,400 horsepower. TIAD also built the first distribution network in Tetovo and a 3,000-volt transmission line some 46 kilometres long. The inauguration was a major event — King Alexander attended and officially commissioned the plant. Besides powering Tetovo, the plant supplied electricity to Skopje, nearby industrial and military facilities and the Radusha mine; Skopje depended on this supply until the Matka plant started operating in 1938. Proud Tetovo residents later joked: "If it weren't for Tetovo, darkness would have devoured Skopje."

During World War II the plant was overseen by occupying Italian and Albanian authorities, although German forces effectively controlled this strategic facility. It was targeted in Allied bombing raids in 1943 and 1944 but was never directly hit. After liberation, in November 1944 the plant became state property under the Federal Electrotechnical Enterprise of Macedonia. A major flood in 1979 badly damaged the installations; after five years of repairs the plant resumed operation in 1984. It was later operated under concession by a foreign firm that failed to meet contractual obligations and was returned to EVN's management. A full overhaul in 2007 installed two new turbines. Today, a century after construction, the Pena plant continues to produce electricity and stands as an important historical and energy landmark for Tetovo and North Macedonia.

Photo: SDK.MK)