Cover Story
Industry in the Republic of Macedo-
nia is the second biggest consumer
of energy.
The United Nations Industrial
Development Organization (UNIDO)
in partnership with the Ministry of
Environment and Physical Planning,
the Ministry of Economy and Energy
Agency of Macedonia, through fund-
ing from the Global Environment
Facility (GEF), is implementing a
project “Catalyzing market transfor-
mation for industrial energy efficiency
and accelerate investments in best
available practices and technologies
in the Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia”.
The Project aims to support Mace-
donian enterprises to achieve con-
tinually improving energy efficient
operations and to reduce production
costs through the provision of tech-
nical training and expert assistance
on energy management systems
implementation and steam system
optimization.
Sasa has joined this programme
and will, during 2018, with the
assistance of a power management
specialist from UNIDO, evaluate our
current power consumption and
determine mechanism for power
usage reduction and optimization.
Sustainability in
Community Engagement
Sasa, as an operation, has existed
since the 1960s. Up until 2005 it
was a state-owned enterprise con-
trolled by the government. Upon pri-
vatization Sasa had to establish itself
as a separate entity and form new
relationships with all those people
and groups who are impacted by the
operation. No formal mechanisms
for this existed previously. In late
2017 Sasa contracted EcoMosaic
to undertake a Baseline Socio-eco-
nomic study of the area and to under-
take a Stakeholder study to allow for
the development of a Stakeholder
Engagement Plan.
The purpose of the Stakeholder
Engagement Plan is to identify all
entities: individuals, groups, institu-
tions, and areas of government who
interact with and are impacted by the
operation. The plan then seeks to
determine appropriate mechanisms
to communicate with these groups
and structure interactions.
22
AmCham Macedonia Magazine
Spring 2018 / Issue 57
As part of this effort Sasa estab-
lished a Community Relations
Department within its organizational
structure to facilitate communica-
tions between the organization and
the stakeholders. In addition, Sasa
is in the process of establishing an
internet site that will principally be
intended as a mechanism of commu-
nication between the operation and
the stakeholders.
Additionally and in coordination
with the local municipality, Sasa
established a community funding
committee in which the identified
local community stakeholder groups
were included in the process of deci-
sion making on which projects the
mine should fund in 2018.
Sasa is the major sponsor of all
sport teams in Makedonska Kamen-
ica including: women’s football (1st
division), men’s football (2nd division),
basketball clubs, handball clubs,
fishing and hunting clubs. Sasa also
funds activities and provides facilities
and equipment for the association of
pensioners and the association for
people with disabilities.
In order to build the next genera-
tion of experts, Sasa has established
a mining studies programme in coor-
dination with the local high school in
Makedonska Kamenica. Students
who wish to pursue a career in min-
ing are able to undertake this course
that can lead to admission at the min-
ing programmes at the University of
Shtip. Sasa also offers study schol-
arships at the University and currently
funds the study of four students at
universities outside Macedonia.
Cover Story
Spring 2018 / Issue 57
by a sub-