Government publishes first final list of public investments; hospitals, rail and energy prioritised

The Government of North Macedonia has published the first final list of public investment projects, released by the Ministry of Finance and adopted after review by the Committee for Public Investments. The list gathers capital projects across health care, infrastructure, energy, education, digitalisation, agriculture, water management and the environment and is presented as a step in reforming public financial management and improving the planning and delivery of capital investments.

Major items include new and upgraded hospitals, railway corridors and energy installations

Key projects named on the list are construction and reconstruction of clinical hospitals in Tetovo, Shtip and Kichevo, the construction of a student dormitory and a medical faculty, and significant rail works — notably reconstruction of Corridor VIII on the Skopje–Kichevo section and the reconstruction and construction of a high-speed railway along Corridor 10.

The energy portfolio on the list includes battery energy storage facilities, SCADA control and data monitoring systems, software for production planning and electricity trading, and the construction of the Miravci wind park. The list also covers a combined gas power plant at the TPP Bitola site, expansion of the central heating network in Bitola, reconstruction of the thermal distribution network in Skopje and the construction of a floating photovoltaic plant at Shpilje. The Ministry of Finance says the list includes projects that are already being implemented or for which financing decisions have already been made.

Minister of Finance Gordana Dimitrieska Kocovska said the new system is intended to ensure projects are better prepared before financing decisions are taken. "The institutions submit initiatives for project ideas to the Ministry of Finance, where a team checks the completeness and quality of the project idea and gives an opinion on its feasibility and sustainability," she explained.

Inclusion on the published list does not automatically guarantee funding or execution: financing decisions will be taken in later stages depending on available resources, project maturity and government priorities. Every project on the list has a value above €5 million and is expected to be financed and implemented across multiple budget years.

"In this way we will not repeat past situations when a project was started and then, due to insufficient preparedness, there was a stop," the minister pointed out, adding that the aim is more efficient planning and implementation of capital investments and better management of public funds.

Photo: ,,Слободен печат'' - Драган Митрески