A new 70km-long/400 KW transmission line connecting the power systems of Macedonia and Serbia was set into operation Friday. EUR 11 million - investment is a strategic project of MEPSO (Macedonian Transmission System Operator), which should improve the safety of the national and regional energy networking.

The ceremony of setting the 400 KW inter-connective power line from Ship in Macedonia to Vranje in Serbia into operation saw the presence of MEPSO general manager Sinisa Spasov and EMS Serbia executive manager for system and market operation Branko Sumonja, Macedonia's Vice-Premier for Economic Affairs Vladimir Pesevski and VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski.

The new line will improve security, reliability and operability of the wider region and create conditions for larger amount of electricity exchange, Spasov said.

Constant upgrading of the security of the national power system and advancing the connections with neighboring energy system-operators are MEPSO's top priorities, he added.

Sumonja said Serbia's power grid operator EMS invested a total of EUR 50million (donations, own funds) in the transmission line Nis-Leskovac-Vranje-Stip.

Macedonia's Government has thus far invested EUR 50 million in building new power lines and renewing the existing power transmitting network, Vice-Premier Pesevski said.

By realizing the Stip-Vranje line, Macedonia's Government fulfils yet another promise. The realization of this EUR 11m-project, supported by the World Bank, is rather significant for Macedonia, as it now connects the country with four neighbors via five inter-connective power lines, Pesevski said.

He also announced a construction in the near future of another 400KW power line between Bitola in Macedonia and Elbasan in Albania.