The energy ministry is stopping the implementation of RAE (Regulatory Authority for Energy)-licensed energy storage station plans as it wants to avoid priority treatment in power grid operator IPTO’s examination of connection-term applications submitted by investors already holding production licenses.

The ministry intends to first ensure the induction of investment plans already holding production licenses into the new, soon-to-be-legislated licensing framework for energy storage units before all investment plans, old and new, are examined from scratch, to determine the processing order of IPTO connection-term applications.

According to energypress sources, the government was never in favor of a policy pursued by RAE to license energy stations despite the absence of a legislative framework for this sector.

The majority of RAE’s energy-storage licenses have been granted through an existing framework for natural gas-fired power stations, used as a surrogate framework.

According to data recently presented by RAE president Athanasios Dagoumas, the authority, since 2019, has received a total of 98 applications for energy storage, pumped storage and hybrid units representing a total capacity of 8,213 MW.

By April, this year, RAE had issued production licenses for the majority of these applications, while the examination of a further 34, representing a capacity of 4,519 MW, was pending.