lignite power station

PPC’s Amynteo unit set to shut down, temporary closure for Kardia

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Power utility PPC’s Amynteo and Kardia lignite-fired power stations in Greece’s north are both planned to cease operating at the end of this month, but the Kardia unit is scheduled to restart in October to cover the area’s telethermal needs, running between October and May.

Despite its closure, the Amynteo unit will be placed on stand-by – along with power grid operator IPTO – for possible electricity contributions between June 20 and August 20, when electricity demand peaks in Greece as a result of the tourism season. This, however, is seen as a highly unlikely prospect this summer given the severe impact of the coronavirus pandemic on electricity demand and the tourism industry.

A joint ministerial decision that had been tabled by former energy minister Giorgos Stathakis offered both the Amynteo and Kardia facilities 32,000-hour operating extensions, meaning they are entitled to operate until May, 2021.

However, state-controlled PPC, taking into consideration the current government’s ambitious decarbonization plan, has opted to withdraw Amynteo on April 30, it has informed RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, and IPTO. The government is aiming for a withdrawal of all existing lignite-fired units by 2023.

PPC and union group Genop are currently engaged in talks concerning the futures of the 400 or so workers employed at the power utility’s Amynteo facility. Some 250 are stationed at the power station and 150 work the mines.

Some of these workers could be transferred to PPC’s Kardia and Agios Dimitrios units, while others will head for retirement, according to one proposal, energypress has been informed.

Voluntary exit programs will also be offered, especially for Amynteo staff.

The Kardia facility workers could be transferred to the Agios Dimitrios facility between the end of this month and the new thermal season, in October, when they are expected to return to the unit.

 

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.

 

PPC’s lignite withdrawal plan also requires IPTO approval

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Power utility PPC’s lignite withdrawal plan, involving an exit of lignite-fired units with an overall capacity of roughly 3.4 GW by 2023, has already been included in the National Energy and Climate Plan, subject to EU approval, but will also need to be endorsed by the country’s power grid operator IPTO.

The operator will make its decision after having fully assessed the grid’s needs to ensure energy sufficiency.

According to energypress sources, state-controlled PPC, whose lignite withdrawal plan is fundamental to the government’s decarbonization objectives, has already submitted its withdrawal schedule proposal to IPTO for endorsement.

It begins with an exit of PPC’s Amynteo I and II units this coming April. Next on the schedule are Kardia III and IV in 2021, once these units have clocked up 32,000 hours of operating time. Then, in 2022, PPC plans to withdraw Megalopoli III and Agios Dimitrios I, II, III and IV. PPC intends to complete the withdrawal plan in 2023 with the withdrawals of Megalopoli IV, Meliti I and Agios Dimitrios V.

Ptolemaida V, a prospective power station now under construction, is planned to enter the system as a lignite-fired unit in 2022 and operate as such until 2028 before being converted to run on an alternate fuel source. Various options, including biomass, natural gas, waste-to-energy, as well as combinations of these, are being examined at present.

PPC chief executive Giorgos Stassis, who last weekend visited northern Greece’s west Macedonia region, a lignite-dependent local economy, explained that the gradual withdrawal plan would facilitate finding solutions for company staff, regional telethermal needs and grid stability. PPC lignite-fired units are incurring losses, primarily as a result of rising CO2 emission right costs.

PPC, reducing workforce, boosts voluntary exit plan bonus by €2,000

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Power utility PPC, looking to decrease its workforce by some 3,800 persons, from 15,300 to 11,500 employees until 2024, has increased the bonus payment offered through its voluntary exit plan by 2,000 euros to 7,000 euros.

No employees will be dismissed nor will salaries be cut, the power utility’s chief executive Giorgos Stassis promised during a weekend visit to Ptolemaida, west Macedonia, in the heart of northern Greece’s lignite-dependent area.

PPC is planning to withdraw all existing lignite-fired power stations over the next three years as part of the government’s decarbonization plan for the country.

Under the current PPC retirement plan, departing staff members receive a 15,000-euro payment, not including the bonus amount.

The PPC boss, speaking at an event staged by local authorities in the west Macedonia region, stressed company employees will be provided alternatives. Options will include transfers to other company divisions, retraining as well as voluntary exits for staff eligible for retirement, Stassis explained.

PPC is awaiting a finalized business plan from McKinsey to decide on the exact number of its staff exodus.

Coal electricity not competitive, Megalopoli facility workers told

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Lignite-fired power stations are becoming a far less competitive electricity generation option by the day as a result of rising operating costs, workers at the power utility PPC’s Megalopoli III and IV units have been told by the energy ministry’s leadership.

Megalopoli, a lignite-dependent local economy in the Peloponnese, will receive some 25 million euros from a lignite withdrawal compensation fund, deputy energy minister Gerassimos Thomas told concerned Megalopoli workers.

The government has announced a plan to withdraw all existing lignite units over the next three years.

The operating time of lignite units is currently being kept to a minimum, the only justifiable reason to keep them running being the continued provision of telethermal needs, the workers were told.

Lignite-produced electricity, including CO2 emission costs, has steadily ranged between 80 and 90 euros per MWh, compared to 55-60 euros per MWh for gas-fueled power stations and a System Marginal Price (SMP), or wholesale price, of 59-60 euros per MWh, according to December figures, deputy energy minister Gerassimos Thomas told PPC’s Megalopoli workers.

In the renewable energy sector, latest auctions staged by RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, produced wind energy prices from 55.8 to 58.3 euros per MWh and solar energy prices at 53.8 euros per MWh.

The Megalopoli workers were not convinced by the ministry’s arguments and, citing desulphurization investments worth 140 million euros at the power station in recent years, remained adamant on the sustainability of the Megalopoli III and IV lignite-fired units.

A special steering committee assembled to coordinate a fair national transition plan towards the post-lignite era for Megalopoli and west Macedonia, Greece’s other lignite-dependent area in the country’s north, is scheduled to hold its inaugural session later this week.

 

 

Brussels pressuring for wider access to PPC lignite power

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The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition has proposed wider participation in a Special Purpose Vehicle plan tabled by the energy ministry that would effectively also take on board independent electricity suppliers, not just energy-intensive industrial enterprises, for purchases of lower-cost lignite-generated electricity produced by power utility PPC.

Energy ministry officials began talks aiming for further electricity market liberalization in Greece in the lead-up to the Christmas break. These are expected to continue following the festive season and end by mid-January.

The energy ministry officials went into the talks having proposed the establishment of an SPV that would exclusively facilitate lignite-generated electricity purchases made by energy-intensive industrial enterprises.

This is seen as a plan that could contribute to the power utility’s market share contraction in the high-voltage category and also support emission cost savings.

Greece’s pledge for a thorough plan promising to fully liberalize the electricity market and break PPC’s ongoing dominance has been under the spotlight during these talks.

Going into the negotiations, Brussels made note of Greece’s non-compliance with a European Court ruling on PPC’s lignite monopoly.

The European Commission has remained relentless in its demand for corrective anti-monopoly measures on lignite, including, according to sources, the establishment of auctions along the lines of the NOME auctions recently abolished by the Greek government.

Brussels insists the SPV would need to be supplied electricity by PPC through auctions. Greek officials have sought to avoid discussing such a prospect given the government’s recent decision to end NOME auctions, arguing these have cost PPC plenty without delivering results in terms of market share contraction at the utility.

A proposal entailing hydropower sourced electricity supply to the SPV, in addition to lignite-generated electricity, has also been tabled at these talks. This would help limit emission costs if suppliers also enter the SPV.

The European Commission may have applauded the government’s recent decision for a swifter decarbonization process, but it has remained adamant on the necessity for third-party access to lignite – until 2023, when all of PPC’s existing lignite units are planned to have been withdrawn – as well as hydropower  if full market liberalization is to be achieved.

 

Gov’t Council being assembled for support to lignite-dependent areas

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The country’s administration is assembling a government council to be tasked with preparing a Just Transition Plan for Greece’s lignite-dependent areas needing support to offset the effects of the government’s planned withdrawal of all coal generators by 2028, including all existing units by 2023.

A Council of Ministers Act enabling the establishment and operation of the government council, to be headed by energy minister Costis Hatzidakis, has just been approved.

The west Macedonia region in Greece’s north as well as the Megalopoli area in the Peloponnese, both lignite-dependent local economies, will need support while adjusting to the post-lignite era.

The government council to work on the Just Transition Plan will be comprised of top officials from a number of ministries, which, besides the environment and energy ministry, include the finance, interior, development and investments, as well as agricultural development and food ministries.

“Ending the economy’s dependence on polluting lignite fuel is a key energy policy priority,” noted energy minister Costis Hatzidakis. “However, the withdrawal of all lignite units by 2028 must be done in a coordinated and responsible manner. The government’s top priority is to make the transition to the post-lignite era a fair one for western Macedonia and Megalopoli with claims of all necessary funds from Brussels,” he added.

A comprehensive, multidimensional and forward-looking plan will be presented by the new government council in mid-2020, the minister said.

Besides national and private funding, Greece will also seek EU support funds, including from the Just Transition Fund.

 

 

PPC claiming compensation for operation of coal generators

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Power utility PPC is looking to claim compensation for keeping its loss-incurring coal generators in operation to help meet the country’s electricity needs.

The utility aims to seek compensation through an EU cost-recovery mechanism for as long as its existing lignite-fired power stations will need to keep operating until a planned withdrawal procedure for these units is completed by 2023.

A strategic reserve capacity being used in Germany is being looked at by state-controlled PPC.

PPC chief executive Giorgos Stassis made the request to the Greek government, which in turn has relayed the matter to Brussels.

European Commission officials, who have held talks on the matter with energy ministry officials, have not responded favorably to the Greek request. On the contrary, they believe Greece owes amounts related to the country’s insistence on using coal generators as a European Court decision has not been implemented.

PPC has also made note of a compensation plan for gas-fueled power stations on the islands that are expected to be interconnected. The power utility believes it will be entitled to compensation if the operation of these units is deemed necessary for grid emergency back-up reasons.

The power utility also claims it would be entitled to compensation for any unrecovered amount of its investment in these gas-fueled power stations if they happen to be withdrawn prematurely.

 

PPC presenting its new business plan today, market awaiting details

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Power utility PPC’s new business plan, to be announced today, has attracted the attention of market officials, eagerly awaiting details on the utility’s transformation, objectives and how these can be achieved.

PPC is expected to make official a swifter withdrawal plan for all its existing lignite-fired power stations by 2023, a staff reduction plan numbering approximately 5,000 employees, as well as a renewable energy capacity boost of 1 GW by 2024.

Ptolemaida V, a 660-MW facility currently under construction, is expected to operate until 2028, Greece’s decarbonization deadline, according to the government, before it is converted into a  lignite-free unit. Details on this conversion plan remain unknown.

A recent study conducted by power grid operator IPTO determined that gas-fueled power stations offering a total capacity of between 2,400 and 2,800 MW can cover the gap to be created by the withdrawal of PPC’s lignite-fired units.

However, the IPTO study was conducted based on the assumption that PPC’s lignite-fired power stations would be withdrawn by 2028, the previous goal, not 2023, as has emerged more recently. It remains unclear how this change of plan could affect the overall capacity coverage equation and whether an additional study will be needed.

Market officials are also awaiting further details on the cost of PPC’s staff reduction plan. The  willingness of employees to accept voluntary exit plans will be crucial.

Also, the cost of the utility’s new focus for greater renewable energy production is another key aspect of the business plan being eagerly awaited by market officials.

 

PPC plan includes withdrawal of all existing lignite units by 2023

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Power utility PPC will cease operating all of its existing lignite-fired power stations by 2023, according to the corporation’s new business plan, expected to be approved by the board today.

Just days ago, at a Greece-focused Capital Link Forum event in New York, PPC’s chief executive Giorgos Stassis said the utility does not intend to keep burning lignite until 2028, when Greece plans to have fully decarbonized, according to an objective announced recently by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The aggressive lignite-unit withdrawal program is made possible by the technology available today, Stassis pointed out. Greece, currently Europe’s biggest emitter of CO2, will develop into one of the lowest polluters on the continent, the PPC boss added.

Five units at the Agios Dimitrios lignite-fired power station totaling 1,456 MW, two units at Amynteo (546 MW), Meliti (289 MW), all four Kardia units (1,110 MW), and the two Megalopoli units (511 MW) make up the list of PPC’s existing lignite units planned for withdrawal by 2023.

Stassis has not offered any details on the future of PPC’s Ptolemaida V power station, currently under construction and initially planned to operate as a lignite-fired power plant. It will most likely be used until 2028.

Besides the environmental concerns, PPC’s lignite unit withdrawal plan is also needed as a result of a sharp rise in lignite costs, generating major losses at the utility, estimated at 200 million euros for 2018, according to the chief executive. These losses are seen rising to 300 million euros for 2019.

 

Higher-cost lignite sidelining gas units a Greek market paradox

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Greece’s wholesale electricity market is still adjusting as, despite sharp rises in CO2 emission right costs, lignite continues to play a leading market role. Contributions from lower-cost gas-fueled generators remain subdued.

A recent drop in temperatures around the country has led to wholesale electricity market demand peaks of more than 7,500 MW since the beginning of December, up from previous demand peaks ranging from 6,000 to 6,100 MW.

According to the energy exchange’s day-ahead market data, virtually all of the power utility’s coal generators are contributing to distribution without operating at full capacity. Instead, they are running at minimum levels. This is reducing the need for gas-fueled generators.

Yesterday, PPC’s Agios Dimitrios III, IV and V, Kardia III and IV, Amynteo I and Meliti all operated at minimum levels, while the contribution of gas-fueled generators was kept to a minimum. Sidelined units included Heron, ENTHES, Aliveri and Komotini, while Protergia and Korinthos Power units contributed only during peak demand hours.

The picture for today remains unchanged with the System Marginal Price (SMP), representing the wholesale price, at 63 euros per MWh, as was the case yesterday. Before the recent increase in demand, SMP levels ranged between 50 and 55 euros per MWh.

Power grid operator IPTO, offering an explanation for the ongoing dominance of coal over gas, despite the rising demand in the wholesale market, noted that turning off and withdrawing a lignite-fired power station – except for telethermal units – costs more than leaving a gas-fired power station sidelined without distribution input.

For PPC, the objective is to maintain the SMP at low levels as the utility is required to purchase energy from the pool given its big market share in supply and smaller share in production.

Carbon-capture option latest proposal for Ptolemaida V

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A carbon-capture proposal that would enable power utility PPC’s Ptolemaida V plant, currently under construction, to keep operating beyond 2028, a decarbonization deadline set by the government, has emerged as the latest option for the project’s future.

Carbon capture, a process preventing carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, would limit emissions by approximately 80 percent, making the Ptolemaida unit in Greece’s north, close to Kozani, feasible amid an environment of escalating CO2 emission right costs.

It is believed opting for a carbon-capture solution would equate Ptolemaida V’s emission-related costs with those of a natural gas-fired unit. Carbon storage is also being examined.

Ptolemaida V was initially planned as a coal generator but a number of alternatives, including a switch to natural gas powering, are now being considered, especially since the government’s recent pledge of a decarbonized Greek energy sector by 2028.

PPC and energy ministry officials have received the carbon capture proposal for Ptolemaida V.

Greek government MP Giorgos Amanatidis, representing the lignite-rich Kozani constituency, has contacted a scientific team behind the development of a major carbon-capture project in Texas, USA.

The MP has also spoken with investors interested in such a solution for Ptolemaida V.

A carbon-capture option would enable the continuation of lignite mining in the Kozani area, seen as key support for the local economy.

 

DG Comp lists Greek electricity market issues needing action

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Greece has been handed a list of pending electricity market issues, old and recent, requiring urgent government action at a meeting between the country’s finance minister Hristos Staikouras and European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager in Athens just over a week ago, sources informed.

The delay of a market coupling plan for the Greek and Bulgarian electricity markets, as well as uncertainty surrounding Greece’s operating schedule for lignite-fired power stations this coming winter and, by extension, its impact on natural gas-fueled units and the market’s liberalization, are among the urgent matters listed by Vestager.

The Danish politician will continue to head the DG Comp following last May’s European Parliament election.

In February, 2017, DG Comp officials had ambushed the Athens headquarters of power utility PPC and power grid operator IPTO to collect data for a market abuse investigation.

Brussels officials are continuing their probe with further questioning, it is believed. No findings have been released, but these will undoubtedly be published once Brussels deems the time is right.

The DG Comp moves methodically when dealing with such matters. In France, for example, the authority last week ordered Paris to open up the country’s hydropower production to competition after launching an investigation into French energy utility EDF’s market dominance back in 2015.

 

Independent energy players rushing to fill PPC lignite void

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The country’s major independent energy groups are forging ahead with well anticipated plans to cover prospective electricity generating voids that will be created by power utility PPC’s withdrawal of lignite-fired units, now expected sooner following a government plan for a swifter withdrawal of all lignite-fired power stations, monopolized by the state-controlled power utility.

Speaking at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York last week, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared full decarbonization would be achieved in Greece by 2028.

The Prime Minister’s pledge for a lignite-free Greece in less than a decade has not taken domestic independent energy groups by surprise. As early as three to four years ago, they had foreseen an approaching end of the lignite era in Greece and around Europe.

So, too, had PPC’s leadership. But the corporation’s lignite monopoly, lignite dependence of local economies in lignite-rich areas, especially Greece’s west Macedonia region, as well as perpetual political interests attached to PPC over the years, have all played roles that have prevented the utility from turning to other energy sources such as natural gas and renewables.

Over the past year or so, major energy groups in Greece such as Mytilineos, GEK-TERNA, Copelouzos and Elpedison, as well as enterprises such as Elvalhalcor and Karatzis, have taken decisions to seek licenses for the development of new gas-fired power stations. The foundation stone of a Mytilineos unit in Boetia (Viotia), northwest of Athens, will be placed by the Greek Prime Minister at a ceremony scheduled for tomorrow.

A planned decarbonization process in neighboring Bulgaria, electricity needs in North Macedonia, and Greek power grid operator IPTO’s imminent upgrade of grid interconnections with Balkan neighbors, especially the aforementioned countries, are all creating further electricity export opportunities for Greek market players.

 

 

All Ptolemaida V options now being officially examined

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A development decision on power utility PPC’s planned lignite-fired Ptolemaida V power station is now officially preoccupying authorities, examining various options, including a fuel switch to natural gas.

All appears possible at this stage. Besides an in-progress report from the McKinsey consulting firm, examining all possible scenarios for the unit along with PPC, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made reference to the matter for the first time yesterday while speaking at the UN Climate Change Summit. He spoke of total decarbonization in Greece by 2028.

Echoing this remark, energy minister Costis Hatzidakis left open the possibility of a zero-lignite energy mix by 2030 when asked if Greece’s new National Energy and Climate Plan, to soon be submitted to Brussels, would include such a target.

Hatzidakis hinted that such a prospect is possible. However, he did not commit on how the government would choose to handle Ptolemaida V.

“If you were to ask me about the existing lignite-fired power stations, I would have answered that we will have a clear picture on how many of these units are sustainable in three to four weeks,” Hatzidakis noted. “But this is not so for Ptolemaida V, where the matter is very complicated. At this stage, nobody can talk of an optimal solution.”

Contrary to the previous PPC administration, the power utility’s new leadership, headed by Giorgos Stassis, does not consider the Ptolemaida V investment a certainty. However, Stassis and his associates are also aware of how complex the matter is, making abandonment difficult.

For example, abandoning the Ptolemaida V project would severely impact the northern region’s local economy, dependent on lignite activity. Also, PPC has already spent close to 950 million euros. Turbine and generator orders have arrived, while agreements, including EPC contracts, have been signed.

As for the thoughts of a fuel switch, from lignite to natural gas, PPC would be better off building a new gas-fired power station in Lavrio, southeast of Athens, close to gas sources and urban centers consuming considerable electricity amounts.

 

Key energy ministry official holds first session with lender technocrats

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The new energy ministry’s secretary-general Alexandra Sdoukou is expected to hold her first meeting today with technocrats representing the country’s lenders, currently in Athens.

Recent tariff hikes at power utility PPC, a campaign intended to improve the utility’s electricity bills collection record and a government plan for the gradual withdrawal of lignite units will all be presented by the energy ministry official.

Sdoukou also intends to present the government’s case supporting the need to end NOME auctions as well as details concerning the target model’s progress and finalized schedule.

NOME auctions have obligated PPC to offer below-cost wholesale electricity to rivals as a market share contraction measure over the past few years. The measure has affected the utility’s financial results and failed to produce results.

The ministry is seeking to establish a fresh setting for the country’s energy-sector negotiations with the country’s lenders, especially the European Commission, on Greece’s energy direction, the electricity market’s structure and PPC’s place in it.

The Greek bailout program includes objectives that have fallen too far behind to be achieved such as PPC’s market share contraction targets and disinvestment of lignite units.

The recently appointed energy minister Costis Hatzidakis is seeking a new overall solution for the country’s electricity market that would entail the adoption and implementation of EU strategic planning, as well as the eradication of any systemic threats, such as a possible collapse of PPC.

As part of this approach, the energy ministry has announced it will accelerate the withdrawal of lignite units and revise the National Energy and Climate Plan for even more ambitious RES targets.

The delay of a post-bailout appraisal of the Greek economy until mid-November, instead of October 31, should give the government additional time to prepare the details of its various energy sector plans, including lignite unit withdrawals, the termination of NOME auctions and privatization of distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO.

McKinsey’s new PPC business plan to feature major changes

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Consulting firm McKinsey, set to prepare a new five-year business plan for power utility PPC, will base its proposals on three key factors: CO2 emission right costs;  lignite-fired units that should remain active or withdrawn; and the resulting impact of these decisions on the grid’s sufficiency.

The study, whose preparation will soon get underway, is expected to end up featuring major changes compared to a previous set of proposals as PPC’s current financial condition has deteriorated compared to early in 2018, when the previous business plan was delivered.

It had called for an improvement of the corporation’s operating profit by 500 million euros over a five-year period. The current demands are far more challenging.

The previous business plan, which was based on eight fronts, placed emphasis on renewable energy investments, new business activities, international expansion and overall investments totaling 3.9 billion euros, approximately half of which would have been channeled into networks and the RES sector. A 23 percent share of the investments was planned for the construction of a new lignite-fired power station, Ptolemaida V. Major changes are now expected along all these fronts.

A tougher stance on unpaid receivables; a plan entailing the partial sale of DEDDIE/HEDNO, the distribution network operator; and pricing policy adjustments are expected to feature in the new plan.

McKinsey’s examination to determine which lignite-fired power stations must keep operating or be withdrawn is expected to generate a voluntary retirement list of 2,000 employees.

If so, severance pay costs for PPC will amount to 30 million euros, as employees are currently entitled to 15,000-euro payments for early retirement.

 

 

Brussels hears out Greek plan for electricity market reforms

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The recently elected conservative New Democracy government’s plan for energy market reforms, especially in the electricity sector, has been closely listened to by leading European Commission officials over two days of talks in Brussels, generating cautious optimism for acceptance amid the government’s ranks.

Deputy energy minister Gerassimos Thomas spearheaded a Greek team to present the government’s proposals that include the termination of NOME auctions; withdrawal of lignite-fired power stations; reinforcement of the RES sector; and restructuring at power utility PPC.

The plan was presented to various Brussels officials, including the European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete; the Director-General of the Directorate for Energy Ditte Juul Jørgensen; as well as to the office of new European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

The main aim of the Greek officials was to underline PPC’s poor financial standing as a systemic threat, stress the need for further electricity market reforms, and highlight the government’s commitment over these matters.

The Greek proposals did not prompt any negative reaction, at least for the time being. On the contrary, they could represent the beginning of a positive course as the proposed measures are in line with EU policies on lignite unit withdrawals, emphasis on renewable energy and other matters.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis may have set the tone by presenting a green agenda during recent talks with key European officials.

European Commission technocrats will soon be in Athens for negotiations concerning the Greek economy’s post-bailout monitoring. These talks could stretch beyond October given the recent change of guard at the European Commission.

Energy ministry officials believe negotiations concerning the government plan to abolish Greece’s NOME auctions will have been completed prior to October 16, when the year’s final session is scheduled to take place, and therefore enable energy minister Costis Hatzidakis to scrap this particular session and the auctions in general, as the minister has declared he intends to do.

The NOME auctions, introduced by the previous Syriza government, are seen as a loss-incurring measure for PPC, obligated to offer below-cost wholesale electricity to independent suppliers since 2015.

Energy deputy in Brussels for electricity market negotiations

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Deputy energy minister Gerassimos Thomas (photo) and the ministry’s secretary-general Alexandra Sdoukou are both in Brussels to negotiate measures for the electricity market’s liberalization.

The Greek officials are scheduled to remain until September 5 for meetings with the European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete and other Brussels officials, the intention being to pave the way for ensuing negotiations concerning the Greek economy’s post-bailout monitoring.

Thomas, the energy deputy, will present the recently elected Greek government’s plan for the energy sector, including its decision to abolish NOME auctions. They are seen as a loss-incurring measure for power utility PPC, obligated to offer below-cost wholesale electricity to independent suppliers since 2015.

Government plans entailing a partial privatization of distribution network operator DEDDIE and closure of old lignite-fired power stations run by PPC are also on the Brussels agenda.

In exchange for the termination of NOME auctions, which were introduced to reduce PPC’s retail electricity market dominance, the Greek officials will present a lignite unit withdrawal schedule that includes PPC’s Amynteo, Megalopoli III and Kardia power stations.

The European Commission’s overall position remains unknown.

The Greek government intends to renegotiate an older term committing PPC to reduce its retail electricity market share to less than 50 percent by the end of this year, sources informed. Athens will aim for a softer target of between 60 and 65 percent, the sources added.

More clarity on where the two sides stand is expected next week, when a team of Brussels technocrats is expected in Athens for further negotiations.

PPC working on withdrawal plan for lignite power stations

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Power utility PPC’s newly appointed administration is preparing to commission a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to determine the order of lignite-fired power station withdrawals, as well as a follow-up plan for workers stationed at these facilities and related telethermal issues.

The withdrawal of old lignite-fired power stations represents a key part of the wider restructuring plan at PPC, under financial pressure and in need of a reshape.

The CBA is part of a new business plan being prepared by PPC for presentation around the end of the year.

Polluting levels of lignite-fired power stations will be a key factor in the order of withdrawals. State-controlled PPC’s Amynteo and Kardia units, operating virtually illegally following dubious extensions granted by the previous government’s energy ministry, are expected to be placed at the top of the withdrawal list.

The withdrawal of lignite units promises to represent a key bargaining tool in the energy ministry’s forthcoming negotiations in Athens with European Commission officials on electricity market reforms and the market position of PPC, still the dominant retail player on the strength of distorted terms not taking into account actual market conditions. These talks are expected to commence September 16.

The closure of older power stations could represent a last chance for PPC to keep alive its hopes of developing Ptolemaida V, a lignite-fired power station investment budgeted at 1.4 billion euros.

Talks between Greek officials and the European Commission aimed at boosting the country’s impetus towards a post-lignite era are already underway, sources informed.

 

NECP being revised for more ambitious RES targets

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Deeper penetration of renewable energy sources into the country’s energy mix is figuring as a key policy for Greece’s newly appointed environment and energy ministry.

The ministry is working to revise the National Energy and Climate Plan following recent observations by the European Commission, which described the country’s RES targets as not ambitious enough, energypress sources informed.

Officials are currently moving to assemble a work group by October so that an updated plan, detailing Greece’s post-lignite era targets, can be completed by the end of this year.

Greater RES participation in the country’s energy mix will be facilitated by a swifter withdrawal of old lignite-fired power stations operated by the power utility PPC, officials have stressed.

The energy ministry has commenced talks with the European Commission for an acceleration of the transition period entailing the closure of old power stations.

PPC’s newly appointed administration has begun conducting a cost-benefit analysis on lignite-fired power stations before deciding which units will be withdrawn.

The imminent privatization of distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO, expected to bring in investments leading to an upgrade of the electricity grid, will also be pivotal in accelerating the RES sector’s penetration of the energy mix, the officials added.

The network infrastructure’s current state is one of the main obstacles stopping producers from investing, they added.

Ministry talks with Brussels on lignite unit closures underway

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Negotiations aiming to accelerate Greece’s transition towards a post-lignite era, through the closure of old power stations, appear to have begun between the energy ministry’s leadership and the European Commission.

Measures requiring the withdrawal of old power stations as a solution for breaking power utility PPC’s dominant market position are also expected to be discussed and implemented.

A plan by the previous Greek government to sell PPC’s Meliti and Megalopoli power stations proved futile, prompting the new administration’s energy minister Costis Hatzidakis to talk of costly units negatively impacting the utility’s financial results.

European Commission officials, due to visit Athens for talks on September 16, have included on their agenda the need to discuss PPC’s disinvestment schedule.

The withdrawal of older PPC units could represent the last chance to keep alive the utility’s plan to develop Ptolemaida V, a prospective lignited-fired power station budgeted at 1.4 billion euros, sources noted.

Rising CO2 emission right costs will soon make many PPC units unsustainable, sources told energypress.

Besides Amynteo and Kardia, the withdrawal plan is expected to also include other units. Details will be discussed at the upcoming talks between Athens and Brussels officials.

In moving to withdraw lignite-fired units, the energy ministry will also aim for the cancellation of legal action taken against Greece at the European Court for PPC’s lignite monopoly. The lignite unit closures would restrict the utility’s dominance in production and, by extension, supply of this energy source.

Greek officials will also be looking to offset the inevitable negative impact of lignite unit withdrawals on local economies, including the west Macedonia region in Greece’s north, where livelihoods depend on lignite.

Energy ministry officials will also present the plan for closures as a measure seeking to limit PPC’s financial losses.

 

Heavy 1Q losses at Meliti, Megalopoli bad news for sale

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The main power utility PPC’s Meliti and Megalopoli power stations, both included in the corporation’s bailout-required disinvestment of lignite units, incurred heavy losses totaling more than 30 million euros in the first quarter, according to results uploaded into a VDR for investors considering the sale.

These losses, attributed to a sharp increase in CO2 emission right costs to levels of more than 25 euros per ton, make PPC’s disinvestment effort an even tougher mission. They also underlining the difficulties faced by the utility’s lignite-fired production facilities.

The 1Q net losses at Megalopoli, registered at 23.02 million euros, include a 4.2 million-euro cost concerning a voluntary exit plan for employees.

The losses at Meliti for the same period were 7.95 million euros, whose voluntary exit plan was valued at 0.5 million euros.

According to PPC, the company’s results could have benefited by 2.4 million euros as a result of an improved lignite supply agreement reached by PPC with the operator of the Ahlada mine supplying the Meliti power station in northern Greece. But this agreement does not come into effect until 2020 onwards.

PPC unit contenders promised 30% price return without CATs

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Investors have been promised a 30 percent return of the price paid for the acquisition of the main power utility PPC’s Meliti and Megalopoli power stations, included in a bailout-required package of lignite units, if these units are not remunerated through a European Commission CAT mechanism within nine months of the acquisition’s completion, according to the sale’s revised SPA terms, endorsed by the utility’s board yesterday, energypress sources have informed.

It remains unclear if the SPA includes an improved lignite supply agreement reached between PPC and the operator of the Ahlada lignite mine supplying the Meliti power station.

Some sources contend this agreement has been incorporated into the revised SPA while others claim it concerns an arrangement for the supply of additional lignite quantities to Meliti from other producers.

PPC has relaunched its sale of lignite units after an initial effort failed to produce a result.

CAT remuneration eligibility for the Meliti and Megalopoli units, as has been called for by some of the sale’s participants, is absent from the revised SPA terms.

 

 

PPC sale participants want extension beyond May 6 date

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The main power utility PPC’s finalized SPA terms for a bailout-required sale of lignite units that includes its Meliti and Megalopoli power stations will, barring unexpected developments, be presented at a board meeting today.

The power utility is aiming to set a May 6 deadline for binding bids but prospective buyers fear such a date offers little time for a thorough assessment of terms and shaping of bids and is made even tighter by the loss of working days as a result of the upcoming Greek Orthodox Easter break, sources informed. The prospective buyers will push for a few extra days to prepare their bids, the sources added.

The revised SPA terms for this sale, relaunched after an initial effort did not produce a result, do not feature any spectacular changes, sources informed. The package will not include a profit-and-loss sharing arrangement for PPC and new unit owners, as had been requested by some of the prospective buyers seeking investment protection.

Calls by investors for clarification on the CAT remuneration eligibility of units remain murky as the European Commission has yet to endorse such a plan.

However, improved lignite supply terms between the operator of the Ahlada mine feeding Meliti and this power station’s owner will be included in the revised SPA terms.

The new terms will be uploaded onto the sale’s video data room within the next few hours, sources informed.

PPC views its Meliti and Megalopoli power stations as profitable following the recent implementation of a voluntary exit plan that has reduced staff numbers. Investors will have the final say once they receive the sale’s SPA terms.

PPC defers crucial lignite units SPA meeting for next Tuesday

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A main power utility PPC board meeting scheduled today for a presentation of proposed SPA terms concerning the Meliti and Megalopoli power stations included in a bailout-required sale package of lignite units, has been postponed until next week, the session’s new date being April 23, when the utility’s financial results for 2018 will be announced, sources have informed.

SPA details, pivotal for the interest of investors, have yet to be finalized. Today’s deferral suggests last-minute efforts are being made to embellish Meliti and Megalopoli as more appealing prospects for investors. PPC was recently forced to relaunched its sale of lignite units after an initial effort failed to produce a result.

Sources with inside information on the proceedings have contended that no major changes have yet to be made to previous SPA terms.

“PPC’s disinvestment effort once again finds itself at a crucial stage, given the EU’s adverse regulatory framework concerning carbon,” one source stressed, adding that the sale’s details remain murky despite efforts by the board to clarify.

An agreement reached between PPC and the operator of the Ahlada lignite mine feeding the Meliti power station, for a lignite supply price reduction to 16.5 euros per ton from 23 euros per ton, has yet to be uploaded to the sale’s virtual data room.

Whether the units up for sale will be eligible for CAT remuneration also remains unclear. The European Commission has yet to respond to a Greek request on the matter.

Amynteo silence adds to investor jitters over PPC sale

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A decision by the main power utility PPC chief Manolis Panagiotakis to drop from a recent board meeting’s agenda the subject of a closure of the now-expired Amynteo lignite-fired power station is believed to have added to the ambiguity surrounding the utility’s relaunched sale package of lignite units.

Panagiotakis’ unexecuted announcement has been interpreted as an attempt to send out a positive message to investors as Anynteo’s eventual withdrawal from the grid would make other power stations units included in PPC’s sale package more competitive.

PPC is not planning an immediate withdrawal of Amynteo. The power plant’s closure is expected in late 2020 or early 2021, when a 32,000-hour extension offered by the government through a ministerial decision last November – as a further extension to Brussels’ 17,500 hours – should expire.

Investors eyeing PPC’s sale package, whose initial sale effort failed to produce a result, are still waiting for clarity on a number of issues.

Details remain pending on a profit and loss sharing mechanism expected to apply for the Meliti and Megalopoli units offered in the package. Investors are waiting to see these details in an updated SPA.

Also unclear are the developments of PPC’s effort for an improved lignite supply agreement with Lignitorihia Ahladas, the operator of the Ahlada mine feeding the Meliti power station. Improved price and quantity terms are being sought. Energy minister Giorgos Stathakis is mediating these talks.

Gov’t, employees on edge amid PPC, Ahlada mine operator dispute

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An ongoing effort by the main power utility PPC for improved terms of its supply agreement with Lignitorihia Ahladas, the licensed operator of the Ahlada lignite mine exclusively supplying the utility’s Meliti power station in northern Greece, has led to escalated tension between the two sides.

PPC has opted to stop payments to the operator for its lignite supply as a means of offsetting lower-than-expected output and pressuring Lignitorihia Ahladas for a lower supply price that would help the Meliti power station become sustainable.

Meliti is included in PPC’s bailout-required disinvestment package of lignite units, whose sale has just been relaunched following the initial effort’s failure to excite prospective buyers.

The government needs to intervene in an effort to resolve the dispute between state-controlled PPC and Lignitorihia Ahladas but must tread carefully as it knows well the power utility’s disinvestment could prompt political damage if its relaunch fails to produce a result.

The operator has dismissed eight of 600 employees amid its clash with PPC. Workers at the mine and Meliti power station fear the ongoing dispute could lead to more job losses.

Lignitorihia Ahladas contends it will not be able to continue operating the Ahlada mine should it succumb to PPC’s pressure for a supply price reduction to 18 euros per ton from the present level of 23 euros. The operator has counter-proposed reducing its supply price as of 2020, when its expropriation procedure concerning the Ahalda settlement, needed to facilitate output, is expected to have been completed.

PPC claims the supplier’s current price does not reflect actual conditions and potential at the mine, noting inefficient practices applied by the operator are increasing production costs.

 

PPC sale’s SPA uploaded for consultation virtually unchanged

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The main power utility PPC’s updated sales and purchase agreement (SPA) concerning the corporation’s follow-up sale effort offering lignite units has been uploaded for consultation to the utility’s video data room without essential changes compared to its previous version, used for the initial sale effort, which failed to produce results.

The new SPA includes a projection for a staff reduction at the Megalopoli power facility, included in the package, to 754 employees by April, 2019, a 30 percent drop compared to last July’s figure of 1,076.

Variable costs for the Megalopoli and Meliti units included in the sale package range from 60 to 63 euros per MW/h, according to the updated SPA figures.

The follow-up sale effort’s procedure will include two rounds of consultation before a finalized SPA is established. Officials are aiming for the SPA to be finalized by the end of April, before binding bids are submitted in early May.

 

 

PPC ups pressure on Ahlada mine operator for better lignite supply terms

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The main power utility PPC is increasing its pressure on the operator of northern Greece’s Ahlada lignite mine, feeding the utility’s nearby Meliti power facility, for improved supply terms.

The existing contract, which does not secure price and quantity stability, was seen as a drawback by participants of PPC’s failed sale of lignite units, relaunched today. The Meliti unit is included in the bailout-required sale’s package.

PPC will pursue measures, including loss of earnings charges, against the Rozas family, operating the Ahlada mine, if the existing agreement’s supply terms are not improved, Manolis Panagiotakis, the power utility’s boss, has warned.

Late in 2018, the Greek State extended state-controlled PPC’s agreement with the Ahlada mine’s operator until 2023 with an option for a further five-year extension.

However, Panagiotakis has condemned the operator for under-producing and not fully utilizing the Ahlada mine’s potential, which, he supports, is prompting price instability.

The mine’s operator has supplied PPC’s Meliti facility at price levels ranging between 19 and 23 euros per ton, but these can be reduced to 18 euros per ton, leading to annual savings of 12.5 million euros, the PPC chief noted.

Panagiotakis claims flawed mining practices are being applied at Ahlada as the operator is avoiding expropriation costs concerning three settlements in the region. As a result, potential for better-quality lignite is not being realized, the PPC boss said. Expropriation costs are estimated at between 25 and 30 million euros.

“The operator can choose between the roads of understanding and conflict. Opting for the latter will lead to defeat,” Panagiotakis warned, adding successful negotiations would offer the operator an opportunity to sell considerably greater lignite amounts to Meliti’s prospective new owner.