Intrakat

Ministry pushes for energy-storage project progress

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Deputy energy minister Alexandra Sdoukou has made clear her determination to remove obstacles that could delay investments concerning the installation of standalone batteries by companies that submitted successful bids to a first energy-storage auction.

Swift development of energy-storage projects is seen as crucial by the energy ministry so that the need for RES output cuts, performed to prevent grid overloading, may be restrained.

Earlier in the week, the deputy minister chaired a meeting involving various sector officials for an update on the progress of standalone battery projects, equipment orders, plans and timetables.

Aristotelis Aivaliotis, the energy ministry’s General Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources, officials from power grid operator IPTO and RES market operator DAPEEP, as well as the heads of renewable energy and storage projects all took part in the meeting.

Sdoukou appeared determined to speed up procedures concerning the issuance of connection terms for energy storage projects and to also establish a system for monitoring their progress. Investors were asked to send monthly reports on the progress of projects.

At the meeting, IPTO ensured that all RES projects with standalone batteries will have received connection terms by the end of February. Also, the deputy energy minister asked DAPEEP, the RES market operator, to prepare operational contract details.

A total of twelve energy-storage projects developed by seven companies secured the first auction’s entire capacity of 411 MW at an average price, for a year, of 49,748 euros per MW.

Helleniq Energy and Intra Energy (Intrakat) submitted successful bids for three projects each, PPC Renewables secured operational support for two projects, while Aenaos (Mytilineos), Energiaki Techniki, Energy Bank and the Agapi Ilios energy community submitted successful bids for one project apiece.

Competition remains strong for second storage auction

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A total of 55 applications representing standalone batteries with 1,668 MW in capacity have been submitted by RES investors to a second auction offering investment and operational support for standalone batteries, a solid turnout ensuring the strong competition registered at the first auction will be maintained.

Investment and operational support will be offered to projects totaling 288.21 MW, meaning applications for participation have oversubscribed this capacity by 5.7 times.

The field of contestants will be finalized at noon today, when a deadline for letters of guarantee expected from participants is set to expire.

According to sources, most participants have already submitted their letters of guarantee with applications. As a result, the number of participants is not expected to diminish.

All participants face 100-MW capacity limit totals for projects submitted to the first two auctions. Helleniq Energy, power utility PPC and Intrakat already exhausted this limit through the first auction and, as a result, cannot participate in the follow-up procedure.

Virtually all other major energy groups with a market presence in Greece have applied to  participate in the second auction, sources informed. These include, TERNA Energy, Mytilineos, the Copelouzos group, Elpedison, MORE, Enel, EDF, EDPR, BayWa, KiEFER and Faria.

A total of 12 projects were successful in the first auction, securing guaranteed revenues of between 34,000 and 64,100 euros per MWh for a year. A starting price of 115,000 euros per MWh, for a year, has been set for the second auction. Bidding is not expected to drop below 45,000 euros per MWh, for a year, market officials have projected.

 

PPC Renewables, Intrakat reach mutually beneficial deal

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PPC Renewables, a subsidiary of power utility PPC, and construction group Intrakat have just announced a deal promising to greatly boost the former’s portfolio of wind energy projects and accelerate development of the latter’s RES portfolio.

The overwhelming majority of RES units included in the agreement are wind energy projects, facilitating renewable energy production for PPC Renewables around the clock, not just during the daytime limits of PV-related generation.

PPC Renewables is taking over a 164-MW wind energy capacity, plus virtually half of a 1.6-GW portfolio maintained by Intrakat group companies. All these acquisitions concern wind energy parks at different stages of development.

The deal allies PPC with a large construction group, while also linking Intracat with a Greek energy giant that possesses expertise in energy production and management, ensuring rapid development of the construction group’s renewable energy portfolio.

The 164-MW portfolio of wind energy park projects acquired by PPC is comprised of 20 MW in projects already operating and 144 MW in projects in development.

Also, PPC is acquiring a 49 percent stake in the Intrakat group’s holding companies, representing roughly 1.6 GW in RES projects, with the right to acquire a majority stake in the future.

Inaugural offshore wind farm auctions in ’27, 6 areas likeliest

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Greece’s first auctions for offshore wind farm areas are expected to take place in 2027 with six areas off Crete, Gyaros, Rhodes and Evia considered the likeliest to be offered to investors as part of the country’s efforts for an offshore energy portfolio of 1.9 GW by the end of the decade, energy ministry officials have informed.

EDEYEP, the Hellenic Hydrocarbons and Energy Resources Management Company, overseeing the effort, also set, late last year, 2027 as the inaugural year of these auctions.

The Greek government recently reduced the National Energy and Climate Plan’s 2030 capacity target for offshore wind farms to 1.9 GW from 2.7 GW.

EDEYEP has scoured Greek waters for locations suitable for development of offshore wind farms. Areas making the grade have been included in a National Offshore Wind Farm Development Program, presented just days ago by the company, along with a Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment.

Flora Karathanasi, an EDEYEP consultant, named six of ten prospective offshore areas for initial development that would contribute to the 2030 target. The six areas are located northeast of Rhodes; around Gyaros, in the northern Cyclades; off Agii Apostoli in eastern Evia; off northeastern Crete, between Agios Nikolaos and Sitia; and off eastern Crete.

According to the National Offshore Wind Farm Development Program, five of these areas are planned to host floating wind turbines, while only one, off northeastern Crete, will host fixed-foundation wind turbines.

The program’s presentation coincides with a heightened level of international RES investment interest in Greek offshore areas.

Swedish-headquartered Hexicon’s Head of Business Development, Henrik Baltscheffsky, recently told energypress that Greece can become a European focal point for floating wind energy, a view he reiterated days later at the 5th Renewable & Storage Forum in Athens.

Also, the Greek subsidiary of Denmark’s Copenhagen Offshore Partners is scheduled to launch its Athens office this Thursday. COP is partnering with the fund management company Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), with which Greece-based industrial and energy group Mytilineos shares an alliance.

In addition, Corio Generation, a subsidiary of Australian global financial services group Macquarie, has also expressed an interest to enter Greece’s nascent offshore wind sector. It has announced the formation of a joint venture with Greek company Globalsat.

These moves come following a series of like-minded announcements by domestic companies with major international players (Terna Energy – Ocean Winds; Helleniq Energy – RWE; Intrakat – Parkwind; Motor Oil – Masdar).

Energy storage auction draws highest bid of €64,000/MW/yr

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A first auction offering operating and investment support for energy storage projects has produced a highest offer of 64,000 euros per MW, for a year, and a lowest offer of 34,000 euros per MW.

Also, 90 of 93 bids submitted were considered valid by RAAEY, the Regulatory Authority for Waste, Energy and Water. The three investors who had bids rejected have until August 7 to submit appeals. The 93 bids submitted represented a total capacity of 3.3 GW.

A final list of projects securing operational and investment support, based on the lowest subsidy levels requested, will be established at RAAEY’s next plenary session on August 10.

Investment support has been set at 200,000 euros per MWh. Operating support to be offered will be shaped by the bids submitted by all participating investors.

Many of the bids were significantly lower than the maximum price permitted, 115,000 euros per MW for a year, which was essentially the starting price of the tender, sources informed.

A total energy storage capacity of 400 MW on offer was covered by 12 projects with respective capacities of up to 50 MW planned by seven companies, Helleniq Energy, PPC Renewables, Mytilineos, Intrakat, Energy Bank, Energiaki Techniki Anaptyxiaki, and one energy community.

 

Siemens Gamesa signs first contract with Intrakat for 36.4-MW wind farm in central Greece

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Siemens Gamesa has signed a contract with construction company Intrakat for the first time, adding a new customer to its portfolio. It is a 36.4 MW agreement to supply 7 SG5.0-145 model turbines operating at 5.2MWs that will be installed in Viotia area, Greece.

The wind farm, called Karkaros, is scheduled to be commissioned during Autumn 2023. The contract with Intrakat also includes a full scope long-term service agreement for a period of 25 years.

The 36.4 MW of clean energy that the wind farm will produce will provide electricity to 30,000 households and it will help to avoid the emission of more than 92,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, the equivalent to the emissions of more than 50,000 vehicles. To achieve this CO2 saving, 1.5 million trees would need to be planted.

With this agreement, Siemens Gamesa reaches a total of 992 MW installed or under construction in Greece. The service fleet will account now for 680 MW in the country including services provided to other OEM wind turbines. The installation of the Karkaros project will offer different challenges, like the use of blade lifters for transportation, a technology that Siemens Gamesa has already used in Greece and other countries too.

“The agreement signed with Intrakat strengthens our position in Greece and gets us very close now to the milestone of having 1 GW installed or under construction in the country. We are also happy we have been able to add a new customer to our portfolio; I’m sure this will be the first of many more agreements to come with Intrakat,” said Spyros Rozis, Managing Director of Siemens Gamesa in Greece.

Greece offers one of the highest rates of expected renewable energy growth. The goal set by the government national quantitative targets are set for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990, by 80% by 2040, with the ultimate goal of climate neutrality by 2050. New renewable energy auctions in Greece are among the measures that will play a key role in achieving the goal of increasing the share of RES by 70% in final energy consumption by 2030.  

About Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy

Siemens Gamesa is a global leader in the wind power industry, with a strong presence in all facets of the business: offshore, onshore and services. The company’s advanced digital capabilities enable it to offer one of the broadest product portfolios in the sector as well as industry-leading service solutions, helping to make clean energy more affordable and reliable. With 110 GW installed worldwide, Siemens Gamesa manufactures, installs and maintains wind turbines, both onshore and offshore. The company’s orders backlog stands at €30.1 billion. The company is headquartered in Spain and listed on the Spanish stock exchange (trading on the Ibex-35 index).

Listed players plan 16 GW in RES projects worth €16bn

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Greece’s listed energy groups, alone, plan to invest a total amount of 16 billion euros over the next decade for the development of green energy projects representing over 16 GW, big figures highlighting the anticipated dominance of the green energy market in the years to come as the country transitions to cleaner energy sources and decarbonizes.

Investments are already anticipated in mature RES technologies, namely wind and solar energy facilities, while, once market and regulatory conditions allow, major investments will be made in energy storage as well as offshore wind farms.

Terna Energy, market leader in Greece’s RES market, plans to reach an installed capacity of 3,000 MW in the next five years. The company, the biggest wind energy player in Greece and southeast Europe, is currently developing wind energy projects representing 400 MW while a further 63 projects are nearing maturity.

Power utility PPC is making impressive RES market progress through its subsidiary PPC Renewables. PPC, according to the company’s updated business plan, will make investments totaling 3.4 billion euros until 2023, 34 percent of this amount concerning RES investments.

Green energy is also a key aspect in the Mytilineos group’s investment plans over the next few years. Its solar energy projects portfolio, representing 1,480 MW, is one of the biggest in Greece. The company possesses 300 MW in RES projects either operating, under construction or set for construction, as well as a further 100 MW headed for final investment decisions by the end of 2021. Mytilineos also plans to develop 20 energy storage projects, each with a 50-MW capacity.

Hellenic Petoleum (ELPE), both acquiring and developing RES projects, is aiming for a 2-GW RES portfolio by 2030.

Motor Oil Hellas recently acquired 11 operating wind farms with a total 220-MW capacity as well as a 20-MW facility still under construction from private equity fund Fortress. MOH is aiming for an operating RES capacity of 364 MW by the end of 2022 as well as a medium-term RES goal of between 500 to 600 MW.

Ellaktor is planning investments worth 1 billion euros for the development of 900 MW through its partnership with Portugal’s EDPR.

Contractor Intrakat also aims to push ahead with a one billion-euro RES investment plan. The company has joined forces with Gaia Anemos, possessing wind and PV production licenses representing approximately 1 GW, plus RES expertise.

RF Energy has reached an investment decision to develop an offshore wind farm with a capacity of 498.15 MW northeast of the island Limnos. The project is budgeted at two billion euros, according to the company.

 

 

 

PPC, IPTO see big potential in broadband development PPPs

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Power utility PPC and power grid operator IPTO, both seeing enormous potential in the further utilization of their thousands of kilometers of distribution and electricity transmission networks covering the entire country, have emerged as contestants in a tender for a broadband network expansion project, one of Greece’s biggest Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to date.

PPC and IPTO know well their existing nationwide infrastructure is a treasure whose potential is far from fully realized. Fiber optics and a large range of telephone and internet services can be added to this infrastructure.

The PPP tender is offering contracts for the development of ultra-fast broadband networks in seven parts of Greece that have not been included in investment plans shaped by telephony providers. The project is budgeted at 870 million euros.

Besides PPC and IPTO, three telecom companies, OTE, Vodafone and Wind, four construction firms, Terna Energy, Mytilineos, Intrakat and AVAX, as well as the Sultanate of Oman’s Oman Fiber Optic SAOC have emerged as first-round contenders for the tender.

Partnerships could be established between some of these ten participants, or with other investors who may be emerge later on.

According to the tender’s initial terms, bidders or bidding teams are entitled to be awarded up to three regions.

Minister promises lifeline extension for PPC’s Kardia power station

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The main power utility PPC’s Kardia power station in northern Greece’s Kozani area will continue to operate beyond May, when the facility’s EU-approved 17,500-hour lifespan expansion is due to expire, a union group leader has contended following talks with energy minister Giorgos Stathakis, mindful of upcoming elections.

The government has agreed to strict European Commission withdrawal terms for the Kardia unit.

One of the Kardia power station’s units, Kardia III, has just 13 days of operating time remaining.

In comments to local media, Moschos Moschou, the head of PPC’s Spartakos union group, representing workers employed in electricity production, has assured that a lifespan extension beyond May would be granted to Kardia as part of Greece’s effort to meet energy sufficiency and energy security requirements.

Moschou and the energy minister also discussed the lifeline extension of another PPC unit, Amynteo, given an additional 32,000 hours from the previous 17,500.

PPC has already received four different Amynteo environmental upgrade proposals from the Mytilineos, Copelouzos, Peristeris and Intrakat groups. No agreements have been reached.

Private-sector investors will need to participate in any Amynteo power station upograde, the energy minster told Moschou, according to the union leader.

 

 

 

PPC pressuring ministry on Amynteo power station’s future

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The main power utility PPC is maneuvering to increase the pressure on the government for action that would ensure the inclusion of the power utility’s lignite-fired Amynteo power station in the country’s energy mix over the coming years, secure its environmental upgrade and attract investors for its sustained utilization.

PPC appears to remain unconvinced of the government’s intentions to keep the Amynteo power station alive despite assurances from energy minister Giorgos Stathakis that the facility’s two units, totaling 600 MW, have been factored into the country’s electricity production calculations until 2030.

PPC is demanding a study as verification of the government’s Amynteo plan.

A 17,500-hour operating time limit imposed on the Amynteo power station by the European Commission for environmental reasons expired just over a month ago but Greek authorities have decided to sustain its operations while working on a revamp plan that would enable the unit to keep operating. Brussels is believed to be gearing up a sanctions procedure but it would typically move along at a slow pace.

The Mytilineos group, Gek Terna, Copelouzos and Intrakat have all expressed interest for involvement in an Amynteo upgrade.

The national energy and climate plan, currently undergoing public consultation, projects an installed capacity reduction of fossil fuel-fired power stations from 4.3 GW to 3.4 GW in 2020. A slight rise to 3.5 GW is foreseen for 2025 before this capacity is slashed to 2.7 GW in 2030.

Brussels set to launch action against Amynteo overtime use

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The European Commission is set to launch a sanctions process against Greece in response to the country’s continued use of main power utility PPC’s lignite-fired Amynteo power station, whose 17,500-hour operating time limit, imposed for environmental reasons, expired approximately three weeks ago, on November 19.

The news of the imminent Brussels action was disclosed by a highly-ranked Directorate-General for Environment official in Athens last Friday, who added the specific department, responsible for EU policy on the environment, has not received any Greek extension request.

European Commission sanction procedures for such issues are typically lengthy and could take anywhere between a year or two to complete from the time Brussels forwards its initial complaint, the two sides exchange ensuing letters, Athens raises an anticipated objection, and Brussels issues a ruling, an official who is well-informed on the process told energypress.

Athens will aim to utilize this period and push ahead with a plan to complete an Amynteo power station upgrade that would enable the revamped unit to keep operating. The development of Ptolemaida V, a modern facility, may also be completed by then.

The Amynteo upgrade is not expected to begin until a bailout-required sale of three power stations at Megalopoli and Meliti has been completed.

The Mytilineos group, Gek Terna, Copelouzos, joined by China’s Shenhua, as well as Intrakat, have all expressed interest for involvement in the Amynteo upgrade.