Power grid operator IPTO has begun upgrading low and medium-voltage substations around the country to facilitate new RES unit connections to the grid.

The overall effort, expected to create additional grid capacity for RES units totaling 1,750 MW, is still at its early stages. So far, two of 33 substation upgrades have been completed, according to energypress sources.

The upgrade is budgeted at 30 million euros, of which 12 million euros is planned to be provided through the recovery fund.

The 1,750 MW in RES unit connections to be enabled by the operator’s substation upgrades represents nearly 40 percent of a 4,640-MW RES capacity estimated to be needed for the National Energy and Climate Plan to reach its energy-mix goals.

The upgrade work promises to increase substation capacity by 250 MVA in the Peloponnese and Epirus regions, by 100 MVA in the wider Athens area, by 200 MVA in central Greece, and by 250 MVA in north and northeastern Greece’s Macedonia and Thrace regions.

All contracts for the substation upgrades are expected to have been awarded by the fourth quarter in 2023, while all work is scheduled to be completed by the fourth quarter in 2025.