RAE, Greece’s Regulatory Authority for Energy, is preparing to seek consulting firm support to counter a looming energy sufficiency threat on Crete as of 2020 prompted by the end, in December, 2019, of an exemption to EU law concerning power station emission limits for local high-polluting units, such as those operating on Crete. A number of power stations on the island will need to be withdrawn.

Delays in a plan for the development of Crete’s major-scale grid interconnection, to link the island with Athens, have raised sufficiency concerns.

Greece’s power grid operator IPTO has been at odds with Euroasia Interconnector – a consortium of Cypriot interests awarded the development of the wider PCI-status Euroasia Interconnector to link the Greek, Cypriot and Israeli power grids – for control of the Athens-Crete link’s development.

RAE has called on the Greek government to seek exemptions from the European Commission for some of the upcoming power station closures on Crete. It remains unknown if such a Greek request will be endorsed in Brussels.

Also, authorities are examining the prospect of allowing energy firm Heron to transfer an existing power station in Viotia, slightly northwest of Athens, to Crete. Questions have been raised as to this option’s cost of production level.

A smaller-scale Cretan interconnection is planned to link the island with the Peloponnese.