The main power utility PPC appears adamant on its plan to develop a new lignite-fired power station, Meliti II, despite various unfavorable conditions, including objections raised by the government.

PPC, which has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with CMEC, the China Machinery Engineering Corporation, for this project, recently made reference to its need in a public consultation procedure staged by RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, for a 10-year development plan concerning the national electricity transmission system.

The Meliti II reference was made in a power utility contribution to the public consultation procedure, dated June 7, several weeks after various government officials had raised objections to PPC’s Meliti II plan, envisaged with CMEC as a partner.

PPC boss Manolis Panagiotakis recently noted that the inclusion of the existing  PPC Meliti I lignite-fired power station and the prospective Meliti II facility to the utility’s bailout-required list of unit sales would require any contract for the latter’s development to be offered through a tender.

PPC and the energy ministry have each hired separate consultants to prepare bailout-required sale lists containing 40 percent of the utility’s lignite capacity.

A recent landslide that led to the closure of PPC’s two Amynteo lignite-fired power stations has further complicated matters by bringing Meliti II into the picture for possible inclusion on the bailout-required sale list.