Renewable energy corporate group EREN, co-founded and co-run by Greek-French entrepreneur Pâris Mouratoglou, plans to increase its personnel and activities at the company’s Greek base as part of a plan to establish it as a coordinating center for the company interests in the wider southeast Mediterranean region, especially the Middle East and Balkans.

Despite the ongoing Greek recession and uncertainty surrounding local investments, EREN is continuing to expand its presence in Greece, both in renewable energy production and the natural resources efficiency field.

The success of the corporate group’s relatively recently established local subsidiary, EREN Hellas, has justified the company’s decision to operate here.

“We’re bolstering our team, investing in the recruitment of new scientific personnel, with the aim of establishing Athens as the base for coordinating the group’s penetration into new markets,” Kosmas Fessas, managing director of EREN’s Greek subsidiary told energypress.

Following the launch of two new wind-energy parks, totaling 82 MW, in Boetia (Viotia), slightly northwest of Athens, the company has begun preliminary work to develop additional wind-energy parks, measuring 120 MW, in Boetia as well as the island of Evia, just northeast of the wider Athens area. Once these projects are launched, in 2017, EREN’s Greek RES capacity will total roughly 300 MW.

Mouratoglou served as an executive at EDF EN, a RES subsidiary of EDF, before departing to co-establish EREN in 2012. Despite its relatively recent arrival, EREN has made significant investments and acquisitions around the world.