On 22 May, part of Gjorče Petrov municipality lost power - specifically, Mečkin Kamen Street from house number 33 to 45. EVN's official notice: the outage was planned, the reason - "routine maintenance and modernisation activities on the network." The window: 9am to 2pm.

This is the standard line EVN uses to cover these jobs. But the question that keeps coming back unanswered: why does Skopje's electrical grid still need "routine modernisation" at this rate? Not "once every 10 years" - but a handful of streets cut off every single week?

The answer: because Macedonia's electrical infrastructure is old. Many of the transformers and high-voltage lines in our cities date back to the 1970s and 80s. That system was designed for fewer users and lower loads. Today - with air conditioners, electric appliances, expanded urban development - the same system is under stress it was never built to handle.

That means every "routine maintenance" - which is in fact a short-term patch - is really delaying the systemic upgrade that should have started 15 years ago. EVN isn't entirely to blame - this is also the legacy of infrastructure policy that no government has ever made a priority.

For the households on Mečkin Kamen, five hours without power is an inconvenience - but also a reminder that every summer in Skopje brings similar cut-offs. The question for next year: how many thousands of euros will EVN invest in real modernisation, and how much will be "maintenance"? That's the difference between a city that moves forward and a city held together with tape.