pumped-storage hydroelectricity

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

Posted on by admin

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

Posted on by admin

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.

‘Energy storage installations can wait for lower prices’

Posted on by admin

The National Technical University of Athens’ professor Stavros Papathanasiou, also head of the energy ministry’s committee for energy storage, has proposed, in an interview with energypress, a rational and careful approach to Greece’s storage needs.

A RES energy-mix share of 80 percent by 2030 will require more pumped-storage projects, while decisions on the prospective installation of 900 to 1,000 MW in energy storage systems – a capacity to soon become available through auction procedures – can be left for later on, when price levels for this technology will have fallen significantly, the NTUA professor noted.

The professor also offered a detailed analysis on how storage investments should be remunerated when they provide congestion relief services to the system.

He also stressed the role of storage stations in combination with RES stations (behind the meter) is absolutely crucial, adding that investors behind existing photovoltaic and wind energy facilities should be given incentives to install batteries as a part of their investments.

The professor also noted it is necessary to reform the existing net metering system so that production and consumption of energy could be synchronized instead of having energy injected into the grid at times of congestion.

Energy storage capacity objective 1,500 MW by 2030

Posted on by admin

A new support framework concerning energy storage stations will be attached to a RES licensing simplification draft bill headed for imminent consultation, the objective being to have the bill ratified in parliament by the end of this month.

Authorities aim to have energy storage units offering a total capacity of 1,500 MW installed and functioning by 2030, 700 MW of these in the form of pumped storage stations, the other 800 MW as batteries.

The Greek market’s current conditions are challenging for the sustainability of energy storage stations. As a result, Greece is the first EU member state to have notified the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition of the need for an energy storage support framework.

Investment support worth 200 million euros is planned to be provided through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) to finance 700-MW in batteries.

Investors eligible for this RRF support will qualify through competitive procedures, the first of these scheduled to take place this coming summer.

Investment interest in energy storage is currently elevated. A total of 78 applications for energy storage stations representing a total capacity of 4,800 MW have been submitted to RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy.

Brussels pressures Athens for energy storage support plan

Posted on by admin

The country’s plan for a competitive procedure to be applied for energy storage unit subsidies needs to be finalized as soon as possible, the European Commission has informed Greece’s energy ministry.

Brussels has called for swift action so that its assessment of the Greek plan can be based on current EU directive criteria concerning state aid in the environment and energy sectors.

Given the fact that these EU directives will be revised as of 2022, the procedure will need to be completed by the end of this year.

If Brussels is to offer its approval of the Greek plan by the end of December, Athens will ideally need to deliver its proposal by the end of this month as a two-month period for any observations and exchange between the two sides will be needed.

According to energypress sources, two auctions each offering energy storage capacities of 350 MW, for an overall total of 700 MW, is seen as the likeliest scenario.

Funds worth 200 million euros are planned to be made available for energy storage support through the national recovery plan, dubbed Greece 2.0. Also taking into account support planned for pumped storage stations, this sum is expected to reach 450 million euros.

The energy ministry’s secretary-general Alexandra Sdoukou recently noted that this sum should provide subsidies covering up to 40 percent of the cost of energy storage projects needed to support the planned increase in RES penetration by 2030.

Energy storage interest enormous, applications for over 12 GW

Posted on by admin

Investment interest for the installation of energy storage units is already considerable, even though related licensing and support mechanism frameworks have yet to be established, data presented yesterday by RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, has shown.

According to the data, RAE, since October, 2019, has received 123 applications for prospective energy storage and pumped storage projects representing a total of 12,229 MW.

Of these applications, 110 concern energy storage systems representing a total capacity of 9,102 MW, the RAE data showed.

To date, RAE has already issued production licenses for 38 energy storage units with a total capacity of 3,582 MW.

A further 12 applications representing 2,447 MW are for pumped storage units, not including a Terna Energy project in Amfilohia, northwestern Greece.

So far, RAE has issued three licenses for pumped storage facilities representing 807 MW.

Energy ministry officials already suspect the energy storage market may experience overheating issues, as has been the case with the RES market.

Energy storage subsidies to ‘cover up to 40% of project cost’

Posted on by admin

The energy ministry is close to finalizing the shape of its proposal for a competitive procedure concerning investment support qualification for energy storage units through the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility, the ministry’s secretary-general Alexandra Sdoukou informed yesterday during a speech on the first day of a conference titled “Investing in Green Energy Transition: Energy Storage – New Technologies – Energy Saving”.

According to Sdoukou, the ministry is striving to forward its proposal to the European Commission as soon as possible as Athens aims to launch the competitive procedure in the first quarter of 2022.

Investors are expected to be offered 200 million euros through the competitive procedure as investment support for energy storage systems totaling at least 500 MW.

Greece is expected to have determined and notified all qualifying parties by the second quarter of 2023.

The government aims to offer a total of 450 million euros as investment support for energy storage and pumped storage projects.

Sdoukou asserted that this amount will suffice to cover subsidies of up to 40 percent for the development of energy storage systems, necessary to support the country’s increased RES penetration objective set for 2030.

Energy storage subsidy program in 1Q next year

Posted on by admin

A competitive procedure to offer 200 million euros in subsidies for energy storage projects is planned to take place in the first quarter of 2022, energy minister Kostas Skrekas has told the 6th Delphi Economic Forum, making clear the ministry’s determination to utilize as swiftly as possible funds being made available for energy storage through the national recovery plan, dubbed Greece 2.0.

In the lead-up, the energy ministry intends to invite investors interested in participating in the procedure to submit investment plans in autumn.

The procedure will be based on a related framework, describing the conditions and terms, to require the European Commission’s approval.

The subsidy program will financially support energy storage installations to offer capacity totaling hundreds of MW, the minister told the forum.

The Greece 2.0 national recovery plan, to carry funds expected to be worth a total of 450 million euros, will also be used to support the development of pumped storage stations.

Investors have expressed tremendous interest in the development of energy storage units. RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, has received a large number of production license applications for various RES technology units.

Since 2019, RAE has received a total of 98 applications for energy storage units, pumped storage facilities and hybrid stations, representing a total of 8,213 MW, which, along with a prospective pumped storage station set for development by Terna Energy in Amfilohia, northwestern Greece, will reach 8,893 MW.

To date, RAE has granted licenses for the majority of these applications, while 34, representing 4,519 MW, still need to be processed.

 

Terna Energy pumped storage station construction in October

Posted on by admin

Terna Energy has taken a final investment decision, worth 500 million euros, on the development of a pumped storage station complex in Amfilohia, northwestern Greece, whose construction is planned to begin in October and be completed within four years, the company’s hydroelectric projects director, Yioula Tsiknakou, has informed an IENE online workshop on energy storage.

The complex is planned to generate a total of 816 GWh, annually, and offer a total installed capacity of 680 MW (production) and 730 MW (pumping).

It will consist of two independent upper reservoirs, Agios Georgios and Pyrgos, with respective capacities of approximately 5 and 2 million cubic meters, and power utility PPC’s existing common lower reservoir, Kastraki Lake, developed in 1960.

Over 70 percent of the investment’s funds are planned to stem from the Greek market.

Its construction is expected to create approximately 1,200 jobs while a 100-member workforce will be employed once the unit is in operation.

Pumped storage stations are the most appropriate form of technology for mass energy storage, Tsiknakou, the Terna Energy official, told the IENE workshop.

Pumped storage stations are nowadays the most widespread mass energy storage solution, representing over 94 percent of installed energy storage capacity and offering total capacity of 161 GW around the world.

Recovery fund subsidies worth €400m for energy storage units

Posted on by admin

The energy ministry plans to allot 400 million euros of EU recovery fund money to the development of central electrical energy storage units. A related proposal by the ministry is headed for inclusion into the national recovery plan.

The aforementioned sum will be used to subsidize energy storage projects and will be made available to investors through a mechanism whose details are still being negotiated by government and European Commission officials.

Once the mechanism has taken final shape it will be forwarded to Brussels’ Directorate-General for Competition and Directorate-General for Energy for approval from both, necessary ahead of its implementation.

Though further details on the prospective support mechanism remain unknown, its subsidies are expected to be offered through a competitive procedure promoting selected projects.

At this point, developments have indicated both central energy storage technologies – pumped hydroelectric energy storage and accumulators (battery units) – will be eligible for subsidy support.

A study on central energy storage conducted by the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) for RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, has shown that a combination of these two technologies is the optimal solution, as each covers different needs.

Pumped hydro storage key for decarbonization cost reduction

Posted on by admin

A new study by independent researchers from Imperial College London has found that just 4.5GW of new long duration pumped hydro storage with 90GWh of storage could save up to £690m per year in energy system costs by 2050, as the UK transitions to a net-zero carbon emission system.

Commissioned by SSE Renewables via Imperial Consultants the report – Whole-System Value of Long-Duration Energy Storage in a Net-Zero Emission Energy System for Great Britain – focused on the benefits of new long-duration pumped hydro storage in Scotland, as the current most established long-duration energy storage technology.

The main benefit of long duration storage compared to short duration batteries is being able to continuously charge up the storage with excess renewables and also discharge power to the grid for several hours or days when wind and solar output is low.

In its recent Energy White Paper, the UK Government set out that long-duration storage technologies like pumped hydro, would play an essential role in decarbonizing UK’s electricity supply by integrating renewable energy and maintaining security of supply.

The study, by Imperial’s researchers, found that 75% of the savings to the energy system would be from the avoided capital expenditure in higher cost electricity generation technologies that would otherwise be needed to meet the UK’s target of carbon neutrality by 2050 whilst meeting security of supply.

 

PPC green plan includes pumped storage, hydrogen, old generator use

Posted on by admin

Power utility PPC’s green-energy plan represents a key part of the company’s new business plan, along with a newly adopted customer-oriented approach and the digital transformation of production and distribution networks, deputy chief executive Giannis Kopanakis has pointed out during a speech at the 3rd Athens Investment Forum.

PPC’s green energy plan will be based on decarbonization, through a gradual withdrawal of the corporation’s lignite-fired power stations, and RES market penetration, the deputy noted.

Telethermal need coverage, development of large-scale solar energy farms at former lignite mines, and investments in energy storage, biomass, hydrogen and other new technologies all feature in the transition plan for lignite-dependent local economies, Kopanakis told the conference.

As for energy storage, PPC, besides batteries, also intends to develop pumped-storage systems at depleted lignite sites, appropriate for use as small-scale reservoirs.

The development of hydrogen producing facilities, also included in the PPC plan, will greatly depend on decisions concerning the fuel mix the corporation’s new Ptolemaida V power station will run on beyond 2028.

PPC also plans to utilize existing mechanical equipment of lignite-fired power stations either closed or headed for closure through use at other company facilities. Generators at old power stations are planned to be converted into condensers for grid voltage stability. Such systems will be needed as a result of the sharp increase in RES stations.

PPC’s investment plan, budgeted at 2.2 billion euros, is expected to create at least 900 permanent jobs as well as 3,000 temporary positions, for the construction of new projects, Kopanakis said.

 

US wants Greece as partner for pumped storage projects

Posted on by admin

Recognizing the importance of pumped storage hydropower technology as a means for energy storage, the US is promoting the establishment of a related international forum to bring together countries and companies for co-development of such projects.

According to sources, Greek deputy energy minister Gerassimos Thomas has received an invitation from the US department of energy and the International Hydropower Association requesting Greece’s participation in a US-headed multidisciplinary platform that will seek to reinforce the role of pumped-storage technology in current and future energy systems.

Pumped storage hydropower supply during the pandemic has provided vital energy support for US households, hospitals and schools, American experts have determined.

Washington believes pumped storage hydropower projects are capable of enhancing the reliability of grids and supporting further renewable energy penetration. This technology, regarded as tried and tested, can be further developed in the energy transition era, US experts support.

Pumped storage hydropower currently represents about 94 percent of global energy storage capacity, latest data has shown.

A pumped storage hydropower project planned by Greece’s GEK TERNA in Amfilohia, western Greece, is regarded as a pioneering initiative in Europe.

The country’s energy ministry has approached the European Commission for special funding support for this project, budgeted at over 500 million euros.

 

Pumped-storage project support plan delivered to Brussels

Posted on by admin

The energy ministry has delivered to the European Commission, for approval, a special support framework proposal concerning a 680-MW pumped-storage hydroelectricity project planned by GEK TERNA in Amfilohia, western Greece.

The project has been on the EU’s list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) since 2012, while its studies have received Juncker Plan financing.

The total budget of the project, planned to generate 816 GWh annually, is expected to exceed 500 million euros.

Pumped-storage hydroelectricity allows energy from intermittent sources, such as solar, wind and other renewables, or excess electricity from continuous base-load sources, including coal, to be saved for periods of higher demand.

Also, pumped-storage hydroelectricity is a technology that promises major  support for domestic value-added sectors as its investments concurrently create thousands of jobs, boost public revenue, tax collections and social security fund contributions, besides resolving energy issues.

PPC eyeing Dubai pumped storage hydropower project

Posted on by admin

The main power utility PPC is preparing to submit an offer for the construction of a 250-MW pumped storage hydropower plant (PSHPP) in Hatta, southeast of Dubai City.

The project, estimated to be worth over 450 million euros, is planned to utilize water at the Al Hattawi dam in Hatta, near the UAE’s border with Oman.

PPC aims to take part in the project’s tender as the head of a consortium including Archirodon Construction (Overseas) Co Ltd. and Hitachi – Mitsubishi Hydro Corporation.

The project description includes construction of a higher-elevation reservoir with a storage capacity of 880 million gallons, 300 meters above the Al Hattawi dam, whose storage capacity measures 1.72 billion gallons of water. The dam lies 400 meters above sea level. The distance between the existing dam and prospective higher-elevation reservoir will be approximately 3 to 4 kilometers.

During off-peak hours, turbines are planned to pump water from the existing dam to the higher-elevation reservoir, utilizing solar energy.

Last June, DEWA, the state-run Dubai Electricity and Water Authority commissioned EDF, at a price of 15.8 million dollars, to prepare plans for the project, including design, geological, hydrygeological, environmental and excavation studies.  DEWA announced the completion of this stage in November.

An initial November 18, 2018 deadline has been extended to January 13 following requests by participants.

PPC and Archirodon, a Dutch group headquartered in Dordrecht, are joining forces for the first time following the signing of a MoU for a five-year partnership, announced last October.

Archirodon has maintained an international presence, offering EPC services, for approximately 60 years, including in the Middle East and North Africa regions.

 

PPC, Terna in pumped-storage hydroelectricity project talks

Posted on by admin

The main power utility PPC is engaged in talks with Terna Energy for a possible partnership concerning the latter’s plan to develop pumped-storage hydroelectricity facilities in Amfilohia, western Greece, and the Cretan region Amari, PPC’s chief executive Manolis Panagiotakis disclosed at the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair while addressing the utility’s decision to make a decisive turn towards green energy.

The energy sector’s future lies in renewable energy incorporating storage systems, Panagiotakis supported.

“Crete and other areas have potential. We have begun talks with Terna and other firms for the development of such projects by also utilizing existing lakes, such as the artificial lake at the Amari area’s rivers, with wind turbines,” the PPC boss explained.

Pumped-storage hydroelectricity allows energy from intermittent sources, such as solar, wind and other renewables, or excess electricity from continuous base-load sources, including coal, to be saved for periods of higher demand.

Terna Energy plans to develop a 680-MW facility in Amfilohia and a 93-MW plant at Amari, Crete.