Socio-economic indicators influence in terms of natural gas supply policy and decision making - Macedonian case

Abstract

Sustainable energy planning is very important in creating energy policies that underpin reliable energy systems. Macedonia has mainly coal based energy production, implying significant air pollution. Thus, natural gas is pointed out as a solid substitute. In order to analyze the combined implications of economic and social aspects when assessing six natural gas supply options vs. a set of selected relevant indicators, the Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique were applied. The purpose of this paper is to address the combined effects of economic and social indicators affecting natural gas supply policy and decision making.