The government has taken key initiatives to facilitate progress of the Crete-Athens electricity grid interconnection project, vital for the island’s energy sufficiency following the compulsory withdrawal of high-polluting power stations.

A decision was reached yesterday at a cabinet meeting headed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to induct this project into a code making the expropriation of property compulsory.

Prior to this, early in April, government officials delivered the project’s environmental terms.

The latest move, offering expropriation rights, enables work to progress before compensation amounts have been determined and paid out to displaced property owners.

However, in return, the Greek State must apply for temporary or final determination of compensation within one month.

Officials at power grid operator IPTO, developing the project, have embraced the government decisions as they promise to prevent delays for this ambitious and challenging grid interconnection.

Large-scale projects such as the Crete-Athens grid link cover areas administrated by successions of local authorities. Subsequently, overall project progress greatly relies on the swift issuance of licenses by local authorities.

As the next step, the winning bidders of cable installation work are expected to sign project contracts in May. The signing of contracts for the development of terminal stations is anticipated in the first half of June.