The European Commission has approved all energy projects included on a new list prepared by the energy ministry and submitted to Brussels for support through a revised REPowerEU program.

Brussels’ approval comes as a positive first step, but plenty of work lies ahead if the projects included on the REPowerEU list are to be actualized.

The REPowerEU program, proposed by the European Commission in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, aims to end the EU’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels before 2030.

Based on past experience, the energy ministry knows well how challenging it will be to coordinate various agencies in the public and private sectors so that a Resilience and Recovery Fund deadline, set for December 31, 2026, is met. The revised RePowerEU section, which includes projects budgeted at 795 million euros, is part of Greece’s RRF.

The available period of just over three years may seem like plenty of time, but given the complexity of the projects, it is not.

Greece’s 795 million-euro RePowerEU list is made up of 560 million euros for energy saving projects, 75 million euros for hydrogen and biomethane projects, 75 million euros for a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) supply chain, and 85 million euros for energy storage systems.