CCHP

Installed RES capacity reaches 11,284 MW in June

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Installed RES capacity reached a total of 11,284 MW in June, according to a latest report published by DAPEEP, the RES market operator.

Solar energy installations, at 5,788 MW, represent this total’s biggest share, followed by wind turbines, at 4,828 ΜW, hydropower, at 280 MW, biomass, at 131 MW, and combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) units, at 255 MW.

As for the share of RES production by these technologies, 52.7 percent of output in June was provided by photovoltaics, 34.3 percent by wind turbines, 2.5 percent by roof-mounted solar panels, 4.6 percent by small-scale hydropower units, 3.1 percent by biomass-biogas units, and 1.6 percent by CCHP units.

RES project launches in 2023 forecast to reach record level

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Renewable energy project launches in 2023 are expected to reach a record level and break the 2,000-MW barrier, according to a first quarter report released by DAPEEP, the RES market operator.

RES project launches this year are expected to total 2,016 MW, comprised of 412 MW in wind farms, 1,584 MW in PVs, 13.5 MW in small-scale hydropower facilities, 5.5 MW in biomass units, and 1 MW in combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) units, the DAPEEP report noted.

The operator’s forecast on the overall market penetration of renewables in 2023 remained unchanged compared to its previous projection made in a preceding 2022 fourth-quarter report.

The average auction price of unused greenhouse gas emission allowances for the remainder of this year is forecast to reach 82 euros per ton, according to the DAPEEP report.

Funds expected to be raised through green-energy Guarantees of Origin auctions in 2023 are projected to reach approximately 5 million euros, the report noted.

RES project additions total 320 in first four-month period

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A total of 320 new RES projects were connected to the grid during the year’s first four-month period, increasing the number of active links to 19,182, up from 18,862 at the end of 2022, a new report released by DAPEEP, the RES market operator, has shown.

Active contracts are estimated to offer a total capacity of 10.14 GW for a production level of 1.55 TWh, while the net value of contracts is worth 144.5 million euros.

DAPEEP divides RES projects into two sections, one for projects activated prior to January 1, 2021, and the other for newer projects activated beyond this date.

The portfolio of projects activated prior to January 1, 2021 consisted of 18 fewer projects at the end of April, down to 15,332, from 15,350 last December, the DAPEEP report showed. These withdrawals are either RES projects seeking market alternatives following the expiry of contracts with DAPEEP or projects that have stopped operating.

On the contrary, the number of projects activated from January 1, 2021 onwards increased to 3,850 in April from 3,512 last December, the DAPEEP figures showed.

The country’s overall green-energy capacity totals 10.5 GW, led by solar energy farms, totaling 5.1 GW, followed by wind energy farms, at 4.5 GW, roof-mounted PVs, at 371 MW, small-scale hydropower units, offering 267 MW, biogas-biomass units at 115 MW, and combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) projects at 122 MW.

Until April, 2023, wind farms held the biggest share of the country’s green energy production, reaching 45.97 percent, followed by PVs, with 43.37 percent, small-scale hydropower units, with 4.29 percent, biogas, with 2.97 percent, roof-mounted PVs, with 1.73 percent, and CCHP units, with 1.61 percent.

 

Mixed RES auction in March, tariffs for 600-MW total

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Local energy authorities plan to officially announce, by the year’s end, a mixed RES auction under new terms just approved by the European Commission for an inaugural March session to offer tariffs to new land-based wind and solar energy facilities with a total capacity of 600 MW.

The new Brussels-approved terms will remain valid until 2025, the aim being to offer tariffs to RES and CCHP (combined cooling, heat and power) units totaling 4.2 GW over 20-year contracts.

It has yet to be specified how this capacity will be divided. The total cost of the remuneration plan is estimated at 2.27 billion euros.

The 600-MW capacity planned for the March session could be increased if officials deem that a sufficient number of new RES projects have reached maturity levels for tariffs.

A total of 1 GW in new RES projects are planned to receive tariffs in 2022, while, to facilitate proceedings, participants will lodge applications and supporting documents in a one-step process.

 

 

RES installation permit deadline for producer certificate validity

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The energy ministry’s RES licensing committee has proposed an additional deadline, for installation permit applications, as part of a second wave of interventions in the licensing simplification effort for new RES projects.

According to the proposal, if investors miss their installation permit application deadline, then producer certificates obtained for related projects would automatically expire.

Investors would be given a twelve-month period to submit their installation permit applications once connection offers have been accepted for solar energy projects, onshore wind farms and hybrid units, and 18 months for all other RES technologies and combined cooling, heart and power (CCHP) facilities, according to the committee’s proposal.

RES producer certificate applications wave sustained

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The increased wave of RES producer certificate applications submitted of late continued with February’s round, attracting 477 applications representing a total of 8.8 GW, energypress sources have informed. This latest round’s deadline expired on February 10.

Applications for solar energy projects were dominant, both numerically and in terms of capacity, totaling 226 applications and 6 GW, respectively.

A total of 167 applications representing 2.65 GW were submitted for wind energy projects.

The remainder of applications concerned a variety of other RES technologies such as small-scale hydropower plants, combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) facilities, as well as biogas-biomass units.

The supervising body, RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, is soon expected to begin processing applications submitted for the preceding December round and complete this procedure by late March or early April.

Successful applicants of the December round will then be requested to pay required fees for their producer certificates.

A total of 864 applications representing a capacity of 45.55 GW were lodged by prospective investors for the December round.

Producer certificate rule soon, financing OK for RES license one-stop shop

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A new regulation facilitating the issuance of electricity producer certificates for RES and CCHP (Combined Cool Heat and Power) projects, in place of production licenses, as part of a wider RES licensing simplification effort, will be implemented within the next few days, the energy ministry’s secretary-general Alexandra Sdoukou noted during a presentation of a new online platform developed by RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, for the producer certificate procedure.

The new regulation will come into effect on time to enable a new round of RES license applications staged by RAE to proceed as planned between December 1 and 10, the ministry official reiterated.

In addition, various RES sector criteria, including ones concerning project spatial coverage matters, have been fine-tuned, the intention being to promote, not reject, project plans, Sdoukou noted.

Rule revisions have also been made to further protect RES project ownership, she added.

The new RAE platform, the result of a sustained effort, promises to serve as an investor-friendly tool, Sdoukou said.

The energy ministry official also informed that green-fund financing has been approved for an integrated information system to be co-developed by the ministry as a one-stop shop covering all RES project licensing procedures.

New round for RES producer certificates to open December 1

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The energy ministry is expected to introduce, within the next few days, a new regulation enabling the issuance of electricity producer certificates for RES and CCHP (Combined Cool Heat and Power) projects, in accordance with recent legislation that has eliminated production licenses as part of an effort to simplify the RES licensing procedure.

The new rule will come into effect on time to enable a new round of RES license applications staged by RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, to proceed as planned between December 1 and 10, energy ministry officials have informed.

The upcoming round for new RES license applications, via an online platform developed by RAE, will be the first in over a year following a freeze imposed by the authority so that it can process a backlog of older applications.

RAE has now worked through the older applications and issued production certificates to eligible applicants.

Processing of the new applications will be based on the new rules, designed to improve and simplify licensing procedures and help the country attain its renewable energy objectives.

RAE will present its new online application system today through a virtual event. The system, described as user-friendly, is expected to boost transparency and drastically reduce previous bureaucracy.

Gas, renewables cover 76% of electricity demand in June

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Natural gas and renewable energy sources covered 76 percent of electricity demand in June, limiting lignite’s contribution to a mere 5 percent, latest figures provided by power grid operator IPTO have shown.

The development highlights the fast-approaching end of the lignite era in Greece, currently in transition towards green energy.

Natural gas-fueled generation in June covered 37 percent of electricity demand, plus 2 percent contributed by cooling, heating and power (CCHP) generation, while renewables contributed 37 percent, including hydropower input of 9 percent.

Highlighting lignite’s severely diminished role in generation, PPC restricted its lignite-fired generation last month by 75 percent compared to the equivalent month a year earlier.

During this same one-year period, renewable energy source generation increased by 7.6 percent, while natural gas-based electricity production was up by a milder 1.2 percent, the IPTO data showed.

In another noteworthy statistic, all of the country’s lignite units were switched off for 40 hours, continuously, for the first time in June.

Telethermal plan for the north enables faster lignite unit exits

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Power utility PPC’s prospective combined cooling, heat and power plant in Kardia, northern Greece, will be designed to operate both independently and in connection with Ptolemaida V and provide telethermal needs to the regional provincial cities Ptolemaida and Kozani, seen as vital coverage that will enable the power utility to withdraw lignite-fired units, cost-incurring facilities, sooner than planned.

Ptolemaida V, a new facility nearing its launch and planned to remain as the power utility’s last lignite-fired power station, will spare PPC’s other lignite-fired units in the region from telethermal responsibilities.

This overall plan was agreed to yesterday by the government, municipal authorities, PPC and gas grid operator DESFA.

Ptolemaida V, when operating, will provide necessary telethermal energy through pipelines to the Kardia CCHP unit, which, in turn, will offer heating.

Even when Ptolemaida V is not generating electricity, the prospective Kardia CCHP unit, to run on natural gas, will be able to function independently and offer telethermal needs to residents in the region.

Authorities are pushing for the Kardia unit’s completion and launch by 2022, admitting that it could take until 2023.

Grid entry adjustment for PPC telethermal-linked lignite units

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The energy ministry is set to satisfy a power utility PPC request prioritizing the grid entry of its lignite-based production for telethermal support without factoring in this input to calculations determining the system marginal price, or wholesale price.

This requested procedure already applies for PPC’s compulsory hydropower input and RES units.

Under the current system, state-controlled PPC is incurring losses when entering into the grid lignite-fired units for telethermal needs in the west Macedonia and Megalopoli regions. More specifically, the utility is being forced to not operate its gas-fueled power stations, despite their lower operating costs, prompted by the large reduction in gas prices.

PPC’s LNG purchases, as a result, are not being utilized.

The ministry is now preparing a legislative act for the adjustment. It could apply for a limited amount of time to cover remaining telethermal needs in the post-winter season.

Independent producers have reacted against the plan. Some producers appear determined to take the issue to the EU competition authority, noting priority rule exemptions can only be made for RES, Combined Cooling, Heat and Power (CCHP) and hydropower units.

 

RES investors committing unauthorized land for projects

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Electricity generation licensing regulations from 2010 and 2011 for RES and combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) projects permitting prospective investors to submit license applications to RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, without providing property titles or land lease agreements has led to major confusion.

Caught completely unaware, hundreds of land owners have seen property of theirs committed to such projects, especially solar energy farms, by investors. Worse still, in some cases, two investors are contesting the rights to property that belongs to neither.

Complaints made by property owners have brought this absurd situation to the surface. The most recent round of applications submitted to RAE was held last December. Hundreds of cases have been reported and confirmed by RAE.

However, RAE does not have the right to react as, according to the rules, the authority cannot accept complaints by property owners if a 15-day period has elapsed since the publication of licenses by the authority.

Unsuspecting land owners who cannot imagine their property being committed to RES and CCHP projects by investors typically do not monitor RAE announcements, while many are even unaware of the authority’s existence.

Proof of property rights is not needed by investors until they reach the stage of applying for project installation permits. Property owners can file legal cases against investors at this stage or reach compromise deals with project investors.

Some property owners who belatedly realize their land is being committed to projects claim investors cite the rules from 2010 and 2011 when ordered to abandon their plans.

The threat of expropriation is a major concern for property owners as RES projects are classified as projects of public interest. Though expropriation initiatives have yet to be taken, investors know this is an option at their disposal.