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

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.

 

RES operator upgrading systems to curb bureaucracy for investors

DAPEEP, the RES market operator, is introducing a series of operating upgrades with the aim of limiting bureaucratic obstacles and subsequent delays faced by renewable energy producers.

Forthcoming upgrades include automatic tax updates, certifying no pending tax payments, for parties interested in developing RES projects.

The operator, as of January 1, has already introduced an online signing procedure for RES contracts and their deliveries.

As a result, the time needed by the operator to sign new RES contracts through the digitized procedure has been slashed to a maximum of five days from an average time of 79 days recorded in September last year, when the operator’s current administration took over at DAPEEP.

In addition, a personalized profile system offering investors updates on their monthly RES production figures will soon be made available by the operator.

The operating upgrades were recently presented by DAPEEP’s chief executive Yiannis Giarentis during an online conference staged by POSPIEF, the Pan-Hellenic Federation of Photovoltaic Producer Societies.

Tariff extensions for private PV units, problems acknowledged

The energy ministry intends to extend the validity of existing non-auction tariff prices for private solar energy facilities up to 500 KW and energy community units up to 1 MW in order to offer support to private RES producers who may not be able to electrify their projects by November 26, when a tariff revision is scheduled.

The extension of current tariff prices is expected to fall well short of a six-month period requested by Greek solar energy producers association Pospief, but it should be enough to cover producer needs.

The energy ministry has recognized difficulties faced by private producers not participating in RES auctions, the most significant of these being connection delays of completed projects by the distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO, and, secondly, a market shortage of photovoltaic equipment, exacerbated by solar panel delivery delays.

In addition, some time may still be needed for the ratification of a draft bill that would enable RES projects to secure tariffs as soon as they have been certified as ready by DEDDIE/HEDNO, instead of at the time of their electrification, as is the case at present.

This revision has already been prepared by the energy ministry but its ratification faces delay as the matter is linked to the progress of a draft bill concerning spatial regulations for RES projects, still a long way off.