Energy firm Heron has requested improved terms for a license granted by RAE (Regulatory Authority for Energy) in 2017 permitting the firm to relocate a natural gas-fueled power station from provincial Thebes, slightly northwest of Athens, to Crete, as the energy group believes the initial terms offered do not ensure the power station’s sustainability, energypress sources have informed.

The firm’s planned Cretan move comes in anticipation of energy sufficiency problems expected to affect the island as of 2020, when some older power stations operating on the island will need to be shut down permanently as a current exemption to EU law concerning power station emission limits for local high-polluting units, such as those operating on Crete, is set to expire in December, 2019.

Heron is primarily seeking a longer-lasting production license on Crete for Heron 1, a gas-fueled unit located on the outskirts of Thebes, as an extension would justify the costs entailed in moving the power station to Crete.

Heron also intends to install an FSRU (floating LNG terminal) on Crete for gas supply to the Heron I power station, planned to be relocated to Atherinolakos, in the island’s southeast.

An existing main power utility PPC diesel-fueled power station also operating in this area will also be able to be supplied by the FSRU.

Heron’s Cretan plan will also enable the development of a small-scale gas network for supply to big and small industrial facilities.

Greece’s first privately owned power station, Heron I, which emerged in 2004, is comprised of three open-cycle gas turbines and has a total capacity of 150 MW. Located next to Heron II, the firm’s more recent power station, Heron I runs on two types of fuel, natural gas as the main fuel and diesel as a backup fuel.

RAE is examining Heron’s request as part of a wider effort to counter Crete’s energy shortage dangers as of 2020.