The Greek government, acting through an EU directive established to keep old power stations active until 2030 under special circumstances, will seek an extension on the life of Ptolemaida 3, a power station in Ptolemaida, northern Greece, which suffered minor damages during a fire that broke out last November and devastated an adjacent power station, Ptolemaida 4.

The destruction of Ptolemaida 4 has prompted the need for a life-extension of Ptolemaida 3.

The main power utility PPC’s newly appointed CEO, Manolis Panagiotakis, promised to keep the power station running at a meeting with regional officials last Tuesday.

Ptolemaida 3 and Ptolemaida 4 had a combined capacity of 350 MW, employing 350 persons.

An estimate of the fire’s damage put the total cost at 80 million euros, the bulk of this amount concerning Ptolemaida 4. The estimate of the fire’s damage on Ptolemaida 3 was restricted to between two million and three million euros.

Ptolemaida 3 was constructed between 1959 and 1965, along with two more power stations, Ptolemaida 1 and 2, no longer in operation.

Ptolemaida 4, the most recent power station of the Ptolemaida facilities, was constructed in 1973. Prior to the fire, this power station’s contribution to the grid was limited and its withdrawal had been scheduled for 2016.