New software is being developed to support the efforts of a committee conducting a feasibility study for electricity supply options concerning Greece’s non-interconnected islands.

RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, has commissioned the National Technical University of Athens to develop software for the study, whose cost has been estimated at 91,760 euros.

Once delivered, the software is expected to offer tremendous support to the committee, made up of twelve officials from various operators, whose role is to examine the technical and financial details of options concerning electricity supply to Greece’s non-interconnected islands. Findings are expected in about six months.

Linking the non-interconnected islands with the mainland grid is expected to resolve energy adequacy issues faced by the islands. Their interconnection is also seen as the only option for lower-cost electricity supply.

At present, the energy market for non-interconnected islands is comprised of 32 independent systems, some of which cover the needs of entire groups of islands. The energy market for the non-interconnected islands is operated and managed by DEDDIE, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, locally acronymed HEDNO.

Electricity used on the non-interconnected islands is primarily produced by local power units running on fuel, mazut and diesel, as well as renewable energy facilities, especially wind and solar farms.

The non-interconnected islands have remained disconnected from the mainland grid mainly as a result of technical and technological issues, as well as financial obstacles raised by the high cost of developing such projects.

At a recent news conference, Nikos Boulaxis, chairman at RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, promised that part of the interconnection will have begun operating by early 2018, beginning with an underwater cable connection from coastal Lavrio, southeast of Athens, to the island Syros.