National Energy and Climate Plan

NECP adjusted to meet loftier EU aim for energy usage drop

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The Greek government has adjusted its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), setting a loftier energy consumption reduction goal that aligns the plan with an even more ambitious EU target just set.

Greece has now set a loftier 8 percent energy consumption reduction goal, compared to 2020, by the end of the decade, while the EU, through a provisional agreement reached by the European Council Presidency and Members of the European Parliament, is aiming for an overall 11.7 percent drop by 2030, compared to 2020, above the target of a 9 percent reduction that was set in 2021.

The 11.7 percent reduction goal, at EU level, is a binding target and means EU consumers will need to limit annual energy usage to the equivalent of 763 million tons of oil by the end of this decade.

The EU reduction target is not proportionally shared by member states but, instead, takes into account their capacity to limit respective consumption, a realistic approach offering a certain degree of flexibility.

Greek authorities intend to intensify the country’s energy-efficiency drive concerning buildings, further promote smart management of energy consumption, and maintain efforts aiming to reshape consumer behavior for an overall reduction of energy demand.

HEDNO: Grid capacity boost of 5 GW by 2025 for RES units

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Distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO plans to increase the network’s capacity by 5 GW to 13.5 GW by 2025 to facilitate RES output, Dimitris Vranis, the operator’s Director of the Network Users Division, has told an industry event in Thessaloniki.

The capacity goal set in the revised National Energy and Climate Plan for 2030 would, as a result, be exceeded, noted Vranis, while offering his views on the progress of PV and energy storage unit licensing at an annual event staged by POSPIEF, the Pan-Hellenic Federation of Photovoltaic Producer Societies.

A 25-GW objective has been set by the NECP for RES penetration by 2030, the official said.

Considering that half the RES units to be involved in this further penetration are expected to concern low and medium-voltage connections, the distribution network will need to be able to host projects representing 12.5 GW.

Given this projection, the operator’s aim for a distribution network capacity increase to 13.5 GW by 2025 exceeds the aforementioned capacity needed by 8 percent.

In addition, between 2025 and 2030, DEDDIE/HEDNO plans to further boost the network’s capacity by 2 GW, increasing it to 15.5 GW, Vranis told the POSPIEF event.

At present, RES facilities representing a total capacity of 6.5 GW are linked to the distribution network, the DEDDIE/HEDNO official noted.

Some 7,000 small-scale RES projects representing a total capacity of approximately 2 GW are now being developed, most of these PVs, while 5,300 units are privately owned and represent a capacity of roughly 400 MW, Vranis noted.

 

Energy storage investors scan details ahead of first auction

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Investors looking to install energy storage units in Greece are currently exploring  market participation details and options and how these could secure feasibility as they prepare for a first auction for standalone batteries, expected to take place within the next few months.

Participants will be offered 50 percent of a total capacity of 900 to 1,000 MW currently allotted to energy storage units. Looking further ahead, the country’s updated National Energy and Climate Plan envisages the installation of 5.6 GW in batteries for energy storage over the next ten years.

For the time being, it appears investors will need to develop their energy storage projects without state support, meaning their respective business models will rely entirely on funds generated through the market.

These revenues will, on the one hand, be generated by storage facility contributions to daily coverage of demand, and on the other, remuneration that could be received for provision of a range of services, including grid congestion relief and balancing.

Indeed, in cases of markets such as the UK and Ireland, serving as models for the domestic market, the provision of such services constitute the main source of income for energy storage units, which explains concerns raised by investors in Greece and why they are seeking clarification on financial details in advance before making investment decisions.

It should be noted, however, that in any case, the establishment of capacity mechanisms is considered necessary for the viability of energy storage projects.

New NECP foresees big rise in pumped storage stations by ’30

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Construction of new pumped storage stations and an increase in battery installations are fundamental to the updated National Energy and Climate Plan’s target for greater RES representation in the country’s energy mix by the end of this decade.

The revised NECP, presented yesterday at the Interministerial Committee, includes a higher RES target of 28 GW and an increased energy storage target, for all technologies, to 8 GW by 2030.

A news conference covering the revised NECP’s details may be staged tomorrow.

The new NECP envisages pumped storage stations with a total capacity of 700 MW by 2030, through two power utility PPC facilities at Sfikia and Thisavros in the country’s north.

TERNA Energy has also planned a 680-MW pumped-storage facility in Amfilohia, northwestern Greece, whose completion would take the country’s capacity for this technology to 1,380 MW.

The 8-GW energy storage target set by the new NECP will require battery installations of more than 5 GW.

The new NECP will aim for a balanced approach between a RES capacity increase and energy savings. An energy consumption reduction of 6.2 percent, compared to 2020, has been set.

New NECP at Interministerial Committee on Monday

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The revised National Energy and Climate Plan, a strategy of greater ambition aiming for 24 GW in wind and solar energy installations, 4 GW in hydropower and pumped-storage stations, as well as energy storage projects totaling 8 GW, all by 2030, is scheduled to be presented at the Interministerial Committee on Monday.

As a next step, the road map of the NECP, now completed according to energypress sources, will be officially announced by the energy ministry before undergoing consultation.

The RES sector’s share of the energy mix has been increased to 80 percent in the revised NECP, up from a 65 percent target set in the previous edition.

The existing NECP’s RES and hydropower target had been set at 19 GW. The revised version’s target has been boosted to 28 GW.

The RES installation target of 24 GW, it should be noted, includes offshore wind farms of 2 to 2.5 GW, indicating that the NECP is, for the first time, committing to the development of this new green energy technology.

Last year ended with operating wind and solar facilities of 10.2 GW, meaning installations representing a total capacity of 13.8 GW for the two RES technologies will need to be installed over the next eight years if the NECP’s 24-GW target is to be achieved.

RES project links up 60% in ’22, better grid utilization needed

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RES projects ended 2022 having recorded one of the best performances in recent years in terms of new unit connections to the transmission system, adding a green energy capacity of 583 MW, up from a total of 370 MW in 2021, an increase of approximately 60 percent in a year.

This spectacular increase highlights the tremendous level of interest expressed by investors for the development of new RES projects in Greece. It puts the country on the right track towards achieving ambitious green energy targets set for 2030.

According to the revised National Energy and Climate Plan, Greece is striving for a RES energy-mix share of 80 percent by the end of the decade.

Against this backdrop, priority now needs to be given to better utilize the existing network through legislative initiatives that will free up reserved electricity space from stagnant RES projects.

Also, RES project licensing procedures need to be further simplified so that grid projects included in power grid operator IPTO’s 10-year investment program may proceed even faster.

IPTO: At least 3 new gas-fired power stations will be required

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At least three new gas-fired power stations will be needed to ensure energy sufficiency within the next few years, but these new facilities will require a support mechanism to remain sustainable, a study conducted by power grid operator IPTO, looking ahead to the period between 2025 and 2035, has determined.

This IPTO study, whose findings have been unofficially handed over to the energy ministry, is essentially transitional as its outlook regarding the increase in RES and energy storage installations falls short of announcements made recently by energy minister Kostas Skrekas for the country’s updated National Energy and Climate Plan.

IPTO will make related revisions to the study once an upgraded NECP is officially approved.

Even so, two fundamental issues raised by the IPTO study appear unlikely to change. Firstly, the growing presence of wind and solar energy units in the energy system will need to be accompanied by the installation of more thermal plants, especially gas-fired power stations, given the existing capabilities of energy storage technology, in order to ensure electricity sufficiency.

Besides the new Ptolemaida V power station, now gearing up for a full-scale launch by the end of February – initially as a low-emitting lignite-fired power station before eventually converting to natural gas – at least three big gas-fired power stations will also be needed.

The IPTO study’s second fundamental finding unlikely to change concerns the need for support mechanisms to ensure the sustainability of both new and old power stations, given the concurrent installation of new RES units, energy storage facilities and gas-fired power stations. The energy ministry, as a result, will need to seek European Commission approval of Capacity Remuneration Mechanisms (CRM).

The IPTO study takes into account two RES penetration scenarios, one based on the existing NECP, established in 2019, forecasting RES installations of 15.5 GW and energy storage installations of 1.8 GW by 2030. The other scenario, more ambitious, assumes RES installations of 24 GW and energy storage installations of 3 GW by 2030.

Big 2030 RES, energy storage target boosts for revised NECP

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The energy ministry is preparing to set even more ambitious renewable energy and storage targets for 2030 through the country’s National Energy and Climate Plan, currently being revised as part of national and EU plans aiming to diminish reliance on fossil fuels, especially Russian natural gas.

The energy ministry is expected to set a total RES capacity target of between 25 and 30 GW for 2030, an objective that could be achieved with new wind and solar energy installations, as well as development of hydropower stations.

At present, RES facilities already operating in Greece offer a total capacity of 10 GW, meaning renewable energy projects producing an additional overall capacity of up to 20 GW will need to be developed over the next eight years if the energy ministry’s anticipated RES target boost in the revised NECP for 2030 is to be achieved.

Greece’s revised NECP will also include a major energy storage capacity boost to between 5 and 8 GW by 2030, well above the present target of 1.5 GW, through a portfolio comprising batteries and pumped storage stations.

Also, the 2030 target for the RES sector’s share of the country’s energy mix is expected to be increased to 80 percent from the current NECP target of 65 percent.

‘Stricter enforcement of RES project development plans’

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Stricter enforcement of project development schedules for prospective RES units holding connection terms is required, while licenses need to be revoked if project deadlines are not met, power grid operator IPTO deputy president Giannis Margaris has underlined at an energy storage event in Athens.

The official also stressed the need, from now on, for RES units with integrated energy storage facilities, a combination that would enable a greater number of renewable energy projects to be installed and increase the grid’s ability to absorb their output.

As for energy injection restrictions that will be imposed on RES stations and energy storage stations, the IPTO deputy revealed that a relevant study and proposal by the operator will be submitted to the energy ministry within the next few days.

Margaris reiterated the problem of potential saturation faced by the grid, noting Greece’s current installed RES capacity totals 10 GW (5.5 GW – distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO, 4.5 GW – IPTO), plus 11.5 GW in connection term offers.

The resulting total sum is nearly 22 GW, while IPTO’s ten-year development plan envisages 28 GW by 2030, including capacity being created on islands through interconnection projects, Margaris explained, adding that the National Energy and Climate Plan puts the grid capacity objective at 25 GW by 2030, meaning just 3 GW of available capacity remains, despite the strong level of investor interest.

 

First offshore wind farm auction by 2025 for tariffs over 2 GW

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A draft bill including a development and operation framework for offshore wind farms has been forwarded for consultation, now underway. The development paves the way for a first auction for the sector, expected by early 2025 and seen offering investors tariffs for a total capacity of more than 2 GW.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has set an objective for a launch of the country’s first offshore wind farms by 2030.

The number of offshore plots to be offered to investors at the first auction remains undetermined at this early stage. But authorities will strive to offer a sufficient number of offshore plots to ensure the achievement of Prime Minister’s objective of a 2-GW total installed capacity for the sector by 2030.

This capacity target could be boosted if National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) revisions require a greater number of wind energy capacity installations by the end of 2030, as part of the country’s effort to reduce carbon emissions.

DEPA Chief: ‘Holistic approach to energy matters needed more than ever’

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Mr. K. Xifaras, CEO of Public Gas Corporation of Greece (DEPA) SA., writes for International Energy Exhibition of Greece 2022

DEPA Commercial is Custodian of Greece’s energy security and of the smooth operation of the domestic energy market. Today, the energy sector, both in Greece and worldwide, is faced with a series of challenges and unforeseen factors which highlight, now more than ever, the need for a holistic approach to energy matters. The need to contain energy costs and support the society, on one hand, and the process of energy transition, on the other, have created a situation in which the market needs to find a balance which will ensure both the country’s energy efficiency and its survival in sustainable terms.

While trying to solve this difficult equation, the role of natural gas, as a bridge, fuel proves to be decisive for shaping the future of the energy market, given the diversification of energy sources and routes of supply and transport, as well as the expansion of storage capacity. DEPA Commercial, which consistently serves these strategic priorities, has been developing a multi-level strategy for the last three years that has proven to be particularly effective. A strategy with double focus: the verticalization and expansion of corporate activities, and the seamless transition to “green” energy, both of which are national goals described in the National Energy and Climate Plan and the European Green Agreement, enhancing our country’s role as a regional energy hub for the wider Southeast European region.

In order to cover the country’s immediate energy needs and to shield its energy security, DEPA Commercial is increasing the supply of LNG either through current contracts or through the spot market, while having already secured long-term agreements on more favorable terms. At the same time, the company is investing in important infrastructure projects and programs, which are drastically reshaping the energy status quo of the region and are contributing decisively to the process of Europe’s independence from Russian gas, such as the Greek-Bulgarian pipeline – IGB and the offshore LNG terminal (FSRU) in Alexandroupolis. Both, projects which will significantly increase the capacity of supply and storage of both Greece and the neighboring countries it serves.

TAP, Poseidon and EastMed are equally important pipeline projects, with the latter returning dynamically to the forefront as a result of the energy crisis, since it will enable the transport of natural gas from the fields of the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe. To that direction, DEPA Commercial is currently in advanced discussions with trading companies from Israel and Egypt.

In this way, a safety net is established regarding the security of supply in the wider region, which upgrades Greece’s geopolitical status by transforming it into a regulatory factor in the energy landscape.

Simultaneously, given the enhanced importance of natural gas, we have designed a comprehensive strategy aiming, on the one hand to expand the use of natural gas, both geographically and in terms of uses, and on the other hand to create the conditions for the development and utilization of renewable and alternative forms of energy. Keeping this in mind, DEPA Commercial is leading the developments towards the transition to a greener economy by designing and implementing initiatives that promote the further penetration of natural gas in the country’s energy mix, as a transitional fuel on the way to cleaner energy forms. The company also contributes substantially to the promotion of gas mobility and the use of cutting-edge technologies, such as Small-Scale LNG and CNG, thus expanding even further the natural gas network and ensuring distribution even in the most inaccessible areas. At the same, time, emphasis is placed on the development of a sustainable and efficient LNG supply chain for maritime transport that will increase the growth prospects of the Greek shipping sector.

With its sights on the future, DEPA Commercial is already active in the field of Renewable Energy Sources by creating a “green” portfolio that exceeds 200 MW of photovoltaic parks, and is also developing projects, infrastructure and technologies which will be able to serve in the future even “greener” energy such as hydrogen and biomethane.

Moreover, at DEPA Commercial we have proven that we operate always considering pertinent societal issues and, for this reason, with a true sense of responsibility we are contributing decisively to the absorption of a significant percentage of the rise in international gas prices, through the implementation of targeted market interventions aimed at supporting households and businesses, in full cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

With a solid vision and through hard work, DEPA Commercial is today an integrated energy company, with strong bases, operating vertically and according to modern corporate governance terms. We are meticulously planning our next steps and we are creating the conditions to successfully meet the ever-changing needs of the market and the economy.

 

NECP officials at odds over future gas role in Greece

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Local authorities are at odds over the role of natural gas in the country’s National Energy and Climate Plan, to be revised, as well as on the decarbonization road map for the coming decades.

A second session just held by an energy ministry working group assembled for the NECP revisions has revealed contrasting views on the future plans for natural gas in Greece, energypress sources have informed.

One side of the working group’s members wants an end to the expansion of natural gas in Greece and containment of investments for new natural gas infrastructure, especially networks.

At the other end, a second group of officials supports that Europe’s intention to end the continent’s reliance on Russian natural gas highlights the need for diversification of energy sources in Greece, as the country’s system is designed based on the assumption of Russia being a key supplier of natural gas.

This group also noted that Greece, based on the new European energy plan, stands to become a main gateway for natural gas to the wider region and, as a result, is favorably positioned for related gas infrastructure investments worth 10 billion euros, through the REPowerEU plan, prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

 

Revised NECP’s 2030 energy storage target to be doubled to 3 GW

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Greece’s revised National Energy and Climate Plan will set a doubled energy-storage capacity target of 3 GW by 2030, to support the RES sector’s greater penetration of the energy mix, as part of the country’s contribution to CO2 emission reductions.

The previous energy-storage capacity target of 1.5 GW will be moved closer, to 2025, so that additional energy storage projects may be installed during the latter half of the decade, energy minister Kostas Skrekas told a recent energy sector conference.

The revised NECP will also set a higher target for RES installations, at 25 GW, from the existing plan’s 18.9-GW objective, as energypress has previously reported.

Investors are expected to receive a total of 450 million euros from the Energy Transition Fund as support for the first wave of RES projects to be installed by 2025.

 

 

Updated NECP raises RES capacity target to 25 GW by 2030

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The updated National Energy and Climate Plan is expected to increase the country’s RES installation target for 2030 to 25 GW, up from the existing edition’s 18.9 GW.

The NECP’s greater ambition for increased RES installations and a bigger green-energy share of the country’s energy mix is based on the Fit for 55 agreement reached by the EU last April for a carbon emissions reduction of at least 55 percent by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, revised from the previous reduction target of 40 percent.

Given the latest developments concerning Russia’s war on Ukraine, the EU is now determined to achieve even faster RES development to greatly reduce its reliance on Russian gas imports long before 2030.

The Repower EU plan, recently designed for this purpose, is aiming for an average 20 percent increase in new green projects that would cut natural gas consumption by a further 3 bcm. The Repower EU plan has also raised green hydrogen targets.

Greece’s RES units operating in 2020 totaled 10.1 GW, a capacity that will need to be increased by a further 10 GW by 2030, if the Fit for 55 target is to be met. This ambitious target increases the urgency of the energy ministry’s plan for further RES project licensing simplification.

Network upgrades already planned more than cover the country’s ambitious green targets. Power grid operator IPTO estimates that planned transmission network upgrades will enable RES units with a total capacity of 28.5 GW to operate by 2030.

Fast-track transmission project licensing to slash time needed

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The energy ministry is preparing a new set of rules for fast-track licensing of grid transmission projects, the aim being to slash, by 75 percent, the overall time required for issuance of licenses concerning transmission projects deemed essential for the updated National Energy and Climate Plan, sources have informed.

The revisions, adopting proposals forwarded by power grid operator IPTO, promise to accelerate and simplify licensing procedures for grid transmission projects that have remained complex and too long for many decades. Under the current rules, licenses take as long as five years to be issued.

Environmental permits, just part of the overall licensing procedure, take at least 24 months to be completed. This time period is expected to be restricted to a maximum of seven months once the licensing procedure for grid transmission projects is simplified.

Also, the time needed for related building permits will be reduced from six months, at present, to just 15 days, sources informed.

The new licensing framework for grid transmission projects will serve as an integral part of the national plan for RES management, IPTO sources noted.

 

RES project applications over 2030 limit, halt considered

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RES investor applications submitted to power grid operator IPTO for connection terms concerning wind and solar energy facilities already greatly exceed the grid’s planned capacity for 2030, by 10 GW, taking into account prospective grid infrastructure upgrades.

This excess capacity has prompted the energy ministry to consider suspending the submission of any new applications until authorities have found solutions to manage the accumulation of project applications already submitted.

IPTO has completed its assessment of applications concerning 2020 and has offered connection terms to successfully applicants.

The operator is now preparing to process applications lodged in 2021 and during the first quarter of 2022.

The current total capacity of RES projects, either already operating or which have received connection terms up until the end of 2020, is 19.6 GW.

Applications submitted in 2021 and so far in 2022, all of which need to be evaluated, represent a total capacity of 19 GW.

Greece’s updated National Energy and Climate Plan has projected an installed RES capacity of 25 GW by 2030.

Taking into account all grid expansion projects included in the ten-year investment plans of IPTO and DEDDIE/HEDNO, the distribution network operator, as well as national and transboundary grid interconnection plans, plus anticipated energy storage projects, the country’s RES capacity will reach a maximum of 28.5 GW in 2030.

 

Energy ministry-led committee working on NECP revisions

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An inter-ministerial committee headed by the energy ministry is continuing work on revisions to the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), the effort’s aim being to achieve the European Commission’s more ambitious climate change targets, as stipulated in the EU’s Fit for 55 package, striving for a 55 percent reduction of carbon emissions by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.

The committee has lined up meetings with top-ranked officials at related ministries, energypress sources have informed.

Formulas calculating the parameters of the revised Fit for 55 road map are expected to be implemented by the summer.

Besides the revised 2030 targets, the country’s new NECP will include climate-change targets for 2040 as well as energy-mix and energy-efficiency revisions that will be required for the achievement of climate neutrality by 2050, the same sources informed.

Operator starts grid substation upgrades, to offer RES units 1,750 MW

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Power grid operator IPTO has begun upgrading low and medium-voltage substations around the country to facilitate new RES unit connections to the grid.

The overall effort, expected to create additional grid capacity for RES units totaling 1,750 MW, is still at its early stages. So far, two of 33 substation upgrades have been completed, according to energypress sources.

The upgrade is budgeted at 30 million euros, of which 12 million euros is planned to be provided through the recovery fund.

The 1,750 MW in RES unit connections to be enabled by the operator’s substation upgrades represents nearly 40 percent of a 4,640-MW RES capacity estimated to be needed for the National Energy and Climate Plan to reach its energy-mix goals.

The upgrade work promises to increase substation capacity by 250 MVA in the Peloponnese and Epirus regions, by 100 MVA in the wider Athens area, by 200 MVA in central Greece, and by 250 MVA in north and northeastern Greece’s Macedonia and Thrace regions.

All contracts for the substation upgrades are expected to have been awarded by the fourth quarter in 2023, while all work is scheduled to be completed by the fourth quarter in 2025.

 

Taxonomy improvements for gas-fueled power stations

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A number of improvements have been made to criteria concerning the entry of natural gas-fueled power stations to the “transitional activities” section of the European Commission’s Taxonomy, intended to serve as a guide for private and public-sector investments required to achieve climate neutrality over the next 30 years.

However, an emissions limit for natural gas-fueled power stations included in the initial plan has been maintained, despite being considered unfeasible by producers.

The elimination of intermediate objectives for green hydrogen incorporation at natural gas-fueled power stations has been embraced as an important improvement by electricity producers.

Initially, authorities had planned intermediate objectives that would have required hydrogen to represent 30 percent of generation at gas-fueled plants by 2026 and 55 percent by 2030. Under the revisions, green hydrogen will need to fully represent generation at these plants as of 2036.

Consultation on the Taxonomy has just been completed, while supplementary terms have been finalized.

Criteria concerning the entry of natural gas-fueled power stations to the EU’s Taxonomy are crucial for Greece, given the country’s number of investment plans for new natural gas-fueled power stations.

These units, according to the National Energy and Climate Plan, will be called on to play an important role in ensuring grid stability and supply sufficiency as the RES sector further penetrates the energy mix.

 

EDEY: Greece has 30 years to utilize natural gas resources

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Taking into account that 2050 is often presented as the carbon-neutral target year, Greece has a 30-year period of opportunity to utilize the country’s natural gas resources and generate revenue, plus the additional potential provided by the role of gas in blue hydrogen production, EDEY, the Greek Hydrocarbon Management Company, has noted in a report accompanying its financial results for 2020.

EDEY posted a total turnover reduction to 2.8 million euros for 2020, down from 5.5 million euros in 2019, as well as a drop in profit after tax to 1.7 million euros in 2020 from 4.3 million euros in the previous year.

Greece continues to have a window of opportunity to create revenue from natural gas resources through efforts that do not contravene the country’s ambitious green-energy transition now in progress, EDEY noted, highlighting that carbon emissions released by natural gas are 50 percent lower than those of fossil fuels and the National Energy and Climate Plan’s objective (NECP) for a natural gas energy mix share of 40 percent by 2030.

 

New RES support framework, featuring changes, imminent

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The energy ministry appears to have taken initiatives intended to increase capacity quantities offered at RES auctions and also retain national control over the determination of these quantities, depending on developments, given the more ambitious National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) for the installation of a greater number of RES units, reflecting loftier EU goals, energypress sources have informed.

A draft detailing the new RES support framework for Greece has been finalized following talks between the energy ministry officials and European Commission officials and is now in the hands of the finance ministry’s Central State Aid Unit (KEMKE), responsible for the framework’s official implementation, expected in a few days.

Considerable changes have been made to an initial plan announced by former energy minister Kostis Hatzidakis, not only in terms of the number of auctions to be staged and capacities offered, but also in terms of its overall principles, sources noted.

The new framework makes no mention of an initial Greek proposal for six auctions, each offering 350 MW, for a total of 2.1 GW, but it does call for a capacity of at least 3 GW.

It also includes provisions for geographically based auctions covering areas such as Crete, Evia and the Cyclades, as well as special procedures for small-scale PVs.

In addition, the auctions will not need to be held by 2023 but will be extended until 2025, based on EU directives.

Through the new RES support framework, wind and solar farm energy investors will, through competitive procedures, secure feed-in tariffs for twenty-year periods.

 

 

Operator network boost for 1,750 MW in new RES entries

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Distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO will use Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) funds to cover a considerable proportion of an investment for capacity boosts at certain existing low and medium-voltage substations around the country to facilitate the entry of new RES units.

The capacity boost at these substations, it is estimated, will enable grid entry for new RES units with a total capacity of approximately 1,755 MW.

This prospective RES addition represents nearly 40 percent of the 4,640 MW in new RES unit entries planned for the achievement of National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) RES penetration goals.

This DEDDIE/HEDNO investment will cost close to 30 million euros, of which 12 million euros will stem from the RRF.

Substations in the Peloponnese and Epirus, northwestern Greece, will be boosted by 250 MVA. Substations in the wider Athens area will be boosted by 100 MVA, such facilities in central Greece will be boosted by 200 MVA, and Macedonia and Thrace units in the north will be boosted by 250 MVA.

All project contracts are expected to have been finalized by the fourth quarter of 2023, while the projects are scheduled to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2025.

 

Fires, UN climate change report to raise NECP objectives

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Not long after the European Green Deal and the European Commission’s decision to reduce greenhouse emissions by 55 percent, compared to 1990 levels, the National Energy and Climate Plan will, once again, need to be revised into an even more ambitious strategy following the extensive wildfires around Greece over the past week or so that have scorched over 90,000 hectares of land in Evia, the northern section of the wider Athens area, as well as the Peloponnese.

The climate change crisis and faster ascent to a global temperature limit set by scientists, as highlighted in a UN report released yesterday, increases the sense of urgency for an even more ambitious NECP, a challenge of paramount importance for the government, as it is  expected to made clear in coming days.

New NECP figures have yet to emerge, but a government committee has already delivered a gap analysis with new policies and measures that need to be tabled. A deeper analysis of the data, in association with external scientific associates, will soon follow before revised targets are set.

The RES sector, according to the country’s latest NECP, is expected to constitute at least 35 percent of energy consumption by 2030, but this goal will now surely be raised.

 

Grid to rely on lignite units amid extreme weather for 2 more yrs

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The country’s grid sufficiency will rely on power utility PPC’s high-polluting and high-cost, for the utility, lignite-fired power stations for at least a further two years whenever extreme temperature fluctuations are experienced, as was the case last week, on Friday, when the heatwave pushed demand up to 9,258 MW, as well as Wednesday, when demand rose to similar levels.

PPC’s group of old lignite-fired power stations will need to keep offering solutions until at least 2023 during extreme weather conditions, be they heatwaves or snowstorms, a situation that will need to be seriously taken into account by the committee responsible for the new National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP).

The committee will stage its first meeting today to begin preparing the new 2030 NECP. Many uncertain factors still remain.

According to the existing NECP, now being revised, new natural gas-fired power stations offering a total capacity of 1,650 MW, plus Ptolemaida V – a lignite-fired unit to be converted to a natural gas-fired unit in 2025 for an eventual capacity of 1,000 MW – will need to be launched by 2030.

The new NECP will anticipate greater RES penetration by 2030 than the existing NECP. The existing plan expects renewable energy sources to cover 62 percent of overall electricity demand by the end of the decade, whereas the new NECP will increase this level to 72 percent.

Municipal solar parks to help low-income household energy needs

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Municipalities and prefectures will be offered 100 million euros in subsidies, through the recovery fund, for the development of solar energy farms whose resulting earnings will be used exclusively to cover the energy needs of approximately 30,000 low-income household around the country, energy minister Kostas Skrekas has announced in an interview with Greek daily Kathimerini.

These solar parks will offer a total capacity of 120 MW, the minister noted.

The minister also noted, in the interview, that a further 40 million euros from the recovery fund will be used to subsidize the replacement of 2,000 conventional taxis with electric-powered models.

Taxi owners will be entitled to 22,500 euros in subsidies for each vehicle replaced, the minister said, while adding that a variety of criteria, including car age, will be taken into account.

Support is also planned for energy communities, according to the minister.

“Energy communities are important when they serve their purpose and not merely promote capital-intensive investment. That is why we will support energy communities that will benefit those in need,” Skrekas explained.

Responding to a question regarding widespread resistance of local communities against wind energy installations and criticism faced by the ministry for being too cooperative with investor plans in this domain, the minister remarked: “We don’t license everything. Investor proposals currently exceed 100 GW, but we, through the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), estimate that, realistically, approximately 10 GW will be installed – in other words, one in ten.”

Revisions to a revised, and stricter, RES spatial plan will be completed by the end of the year, the minister told.

Energy investment activity rising, focus on RES projects, energy transition

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Investment activity in the domestic energy sector is rising with major deals being negotiated, the main focus being on renewables and the energy transition, participants at yesterday’s Delphi Economic Forum made clear.

This activity promises significant growth for all RES technologies, even the more innovative, such as offshore wind farms and energy storage units.

Major energy players are moving to capitalize on opportunities that are emerging as the country pushes ahead with its decarbonization effort. Also, investor talks concerning domestic and international partnerships, the latter promising to secure expertise in sectors such as offshore wind farms, are in progress.

Power utility PPC, moving ahead with RES investments, aims to have launched projects with a total capacity of 1.5 GW by 2023. The utility’s redevelopment plan for the country’s two lignite-dependent regions, Ptolemaida, in the north, and Megalopoli, in the Peloponnese, is in progress.

PPC plans to invest 3.4 billion euros on RES project development in these regions, and an upgrade of their distribution networks, Konstantinos Mavros, chief executive of PPC Renewables, a PPC subsidiary, told the forum.

PPC is also expected to establish partnerships facilitating its entry into the offshore wind market. In addition, the company also aims to have formed a joint venture with German power company RWE by the end of summer for development of RES projects totaling 2 GW.

Elsewhere, energy company Mytilineos is also preparing a strategic alliance with a major international group for its entry into the offshore wind farm sector.

Mytilineos is also close to completing, this year, a major post-lignite investment in natural gas-fueled electricity generation. In addition, the company plans to develop 300 MW in wind farms and 1.5 GW in solar farms over the next two years.

Furthermore, Mytilineos plans to develop 20 energy storage projects, each with 50 MW capacity, by utilizing its immense knowhow gained in this field through involvement in such projects abroad.

Hellenic Petroleum (ELPE) is preparing RES and digital transition projects and will concurrently focus efforts to reduce carbon emissions and develop more eco-friendly products, including biofuels and hydrogen.

The Copelouzos group is nearing an investment decision on the development of a natural gas-fueled power station in Alexandroupoli, northeastern Greece. A decision is expected this summer. The group is currently engaged in talks with neighboring North Macedonia’s power utility for its possible entry into this project as a minority partner.

As for networks, power grid operator IPTO has planned numerous projects as part of a ten-year investment plan worth five billion euros. The operator anticipates new RES project penetration of 17 GW, a forecast exceeding the National Energy and Climate Plan’s goals.

DEDDIE/HEDNO, the distribution network operator, has put together a 3 billion-euro investment plan for the two next regulatory periods, each four years long. Projects include network undergrounding, service upgrades and improvement, new technologies, as well as grid digitalization projects.

NECP needs revising, EU CO2 emission goal more ambitious

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The EU’s level of RES investment objectives has been raised even higher following an agreement reached this week by the member states and European Parliament for a swifter reduction of CO2 emissions by 2030, reached after many months of inconclusive negotiations.

The agreement for a CO2 emissions reduction of at least 55 percent by the end of the decade, instead of 40 percent, as had been previously set, will subsequently require EU member states to revise their National Energy and Climate Plans.

NECP objectives concerning wind, solar and all other green-energy technologies will need to be reset.

For Greece, this development means that a 2019 NECP goal for the installation of 8.8 GW in new RES capacity by 2030 needs to be increased to over 10 GW, sources have informed energypress.

The precise figure will be determined by the proportion, or mix, of wind, solar and other RES categories to be included in Greece’s updated NECP, as each technology offers different GWh results per GW installed.

Greece’s NECP committee will soon need to proceed with new calculations and decide on a revised strategy.

The country’s revised NECP will also detail Greece’s updated decarbonization plan, including PPC’s commitment to complete this effort sooner by turning off its Ptolemaida V facility as a lignite-fired unit in 2025, not 2028, as originally planned. PPC’s chief executive Giorgos Stassis pointed out this change of plan to analysts earlier this week.

PPC’s Kardia III and IV lignite power stations set for April 17 withdrawal

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Power utility PPC’s Kardia III and IV lignite-fired power stations are nearing withdrawal as the two facilities are due to clock up 32,000 hours of operating time, their limit, on April 17.

PPC has scheduled to close down the two power stations this year as part of a decarbonization plan the company had announced in December, 2019. This plan was included in the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP).

The two imminent power-station withdrawals, representing a capacity loss of 540 MW, will follow a first stage of exits carried out last year by PPC, when its withdrawal of Amynteo I and II, totaling 546 MW, launched the country’s decarbonization effort.

Besides producing electricity, the two Kardia units, located in Greece’s north, have also been used to provide district heating. Local authorities have asked the energy ministry to keep the two units on standby for a few more weeks until the early spring’s chilly weather is well and truly over.

PPC’s prospective Ptolemaida V unit will eventually take over district heating services following the adoption of intermediate solutions to cover next winter.

PPC also plans to withdraw Megalopoli III, in the Peloponnese, this year, earlier than the 2022 objective listed in the NECP.

RES spatial plan to be delivered within 2021, Action Plan notes

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The completion of a RES sector spatial plan within the current year has been included in an energy ministry Action Plan for 2021, just published along with the respective action plans of all other ministries.

The energy ministry’s action plan lists interventions planned for 2021 in nine areas under its authority, including energy-sector privatizations, energy market reforms, support for decarbonization and recycling, adoption of circular economic principles, greenhouse gas emission reduction, the tackling of climate change effects, as well as green energy transition.

RES sector measures this year will help cut down the time needed by new RES projects for licensing procedures to two years, the ministry anticipates in its action plan.

It also expects the installation, by the end of the year, of at least 2,000 recharging units for electric vehicles in public areas, including along highways, and at private properties, including domestic and commercial.

On the privatization front, the energy ministry expects all seven energy privatization plans to have been completed or reached an advanced stage by the end of the year.

On energy market reforms, the adoption of a remuneration mechanism for grid sufficiency, to replace a transitional mechanism remunerating flexibility, is a standout feature.

The energy ministry also intends to adopt, as Greek law, an EU directive promoting energy storage and demand response systems.

The ministry’s action plan also anticipates the signing of agreements this year for distribution network development and RES penetration support. It also expects DEDDIE/HEDNO, the distribution network operator, to announce a tender for the installation of smart power meters within the current year.

Taking into account plans by DEDDIE/HEDNO and power grid operator IPTO, the ministry expects investments in distribution and transmission networks to reach one billion euros this year.

Investments for gas network upgrades and expansion are expected to reach at least 300 million euros, primarily driven by projects planned by gas distributor DEDA, covering all areas around the country except for the wider Athens, Thessaloniki and Thessaly areas.

On international projects, the action plan notes that a Greek-Bulgarian gas pipeline project, the IGB, promising to significantly diversify Greece’s gas sources, will be completed by the end of 2021.

A latest edition of the Saving at Home program subsidizing energy efficiency upgrades of properties, budgeted at one billion euros, will stimulate work on 80,000 buildings in 2021, according the energy ministry’s action plan.

This activity will contribute to a National Energy and Climate Plan objective for an improvement, by 2030, of energy efficiency at buildings by 38 percent, reducing energy consumption to levels below those registered in 2007, the action plan notes.

 

PPC seeks IPTO support for EC lignite compensation request

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Power utility PPC wants power grid operator IPTO to provide a statement declaring whether the power utility’s lignite-fired power stations, nowadays loss-incurring units as a result of elevated carbon emission right costs, are still necessary for the achievement of grid sufficiency, the utility’s objective being to gain support for a lignite compensation request submitted to the European Commission, not to immediately shut down its lignite units, sources have informed.

Brussels has been examining the PPC compensation request for months, initially as part of a package incorporating the European Commission’s lignite antitrust case against Greece, and more recently, following settlement of the latter, as a separate issue that has dragged on.

Throughout the entire period, officials in Greece have needed to respond to extensive Brussels questioning over PPC’s compensation request. Most recently, the European Commission is reported to have informed PPC, by email, that it would deliver a decision as soon as possible, once all information has been processed.

PPC, in its letter to IPTO, informs that it would be prepared to shut down the lignite units now if the operator considers them unnecessary for grid sufficiency as they are the cause of losses on a daily basis.

The power utility has planned a phaseout of its lignite facilities over the next three years, as part of the country’s decarbonization effort.

IPTO, in a grid-sufficiency study covering 2020 to 2030, conducted within the framework of the National Energy and Climate Plan, has stressed the period between 2021 and 2024 will be crucial as a result of PPC’s planned phaseout of lignite-fired power stations.

Subsequently, the grid’s sufficiency will depend on how soon three new gas-fueled power stations with a capacity totaling 2,150 MW – PPC’s Ptolemaida V, and units being developed by Mytilineos and TERNA – will be ready for launch, IPTO’s NECP-linked study noted.