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Green Aegean entering crucial cost-benefit analysis stage

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TSOs of countries that have expressed an interest to participate in Green Aegean, an electrical grid interconnection project envisaged to stretch from Greece to Germany’s south, have begun working on non-disclosure agreements ahead of respective cost-benefit analyses.

According to an initial estimate, the grid interconnection project, to cover roughly 1,400 kilometers, was budgeted at between 7 and 8 billion euros, but the figure is likely to change as more detailed studies are completed.

TSOs of Greece, Germany, Slovenia, Austria and Croatia, a recent addition to the group of countries interested in co-developing the project, are expected to soon commence work on detailed technical and cost-benefit studies.

The studies will include details such as the type of cable technology and converter stations preferred, as well as the cost of each segment.

Greek power grid operator IPTO and its counterparts representing the participating countries – Slovenia’s ELES, Austria’s APG, Croatia’s HOPS, and TenneT, a Dutch TSO operating in a large part of Germany – are expected to each conduct separate preliminary studies before deciding on a final master plan covering the entire grid interconnection project.

The project’s cost estimation, a crucial stage, will be complex as each of these countries have different energy mixes.

IPTO’s chief executive Manos Manousakis held talks Tuesday in Brussels with TenneT’s CEO Mannon van Beek, on the sidelines of a meeting held by ENTSO-E, the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, for an Offshore Network Development Plan.

Germany has yet to make clear its intentions on the Green Aegean project. The project’s sustainability will be a crucial aspect in the country’s decision. Greek solar energy exports will need to represent a low-cost alternative compared to solar energy production in Germany’s south, the country’s sunniest region.

At present, Greek solar energy production costs between 35 and 40 euros per MWh, compared to roughly 50 euros per MWh in Germany’s south, a price gap resulting from Greece’s sunnier weather and, by extension, lower cost of production.

Croatia keen to join Greece-Germany electrical grid link

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Croatia has expressed an interest to join a group of countries engaged in advanced talks for the development of Green Aegean, an electrical grid interconnection project envisaged to run from Greece to Germany’s south.

Besides Greece and Germany, Slovenia and Austria are already involved in the talks for this project.

Greek deputy energy minister Alexandra Sdoukou appears to have been informed of Croatia’s interest to become a fifth member of this group on the sidelines of last week’s ministerial conference staged by the Central and South-Eastern European Gas Connectivity Group (CESEC) in Athens.

Croatia’s interest to join the Green Aegean project has been linked to the country’s plans to develop offshore wind farms in the Adriatic Sea.

A Croatian action plan presented last year indicated the country could develop offshore wind farms with a 25-GW capacity in the Adriatic Sea, a level of output that would establish Croatia as a major European player in this domain.

The Croatian government is well aware that the country’s anticipated excess renewable energy to be generated from mid-way next decade onwards would need to be exported as the domestic system will not be able to absorb the entire output. Greece faces a similar problem.

Green Aegean would benefit all parties involved. Germany needs to find ways to cover huge energy demand increases in the winter, whereas, at the opposite end, Greece faces greater energy demand in the summer.

EU support funds are serving as an incentive for related projects. The European Commission has made available 584 billion euros for electrical grid development in the EU, Brussels announced last November.

Greek power grid operator DESFA’s chief executive Manos Manousakis is scheduled to hold talks in Brussels tomorrow with Mannon van Beek, the CEO at Dutch TSO TenneT, operating in a large part of Germany.

Manousakis recently also met with Germany’s newly appointed ambassador to Greece, Andreas Kindl, to promote the Green Aegean grid interconnection plan.

 

IPTO pitches Green Aegean to new German ambassador

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Greek power grid operator IPTO’s chief executive officer Manos Manousakis has held a meeting with Germany’s newly appointed ambassador to Greece, Andreas Kindl, to promote the operator’s proposal for a Green Aegean grid interconnection plan, envisaged to run from Greece to Germany’s south.

To date, German officials have remained reserved, as was highlighted by a meeting last November between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The Greek leader made note of the Green Aegean project, describing it as a step towards independence from Russian energy, without reciprocation.

The Chancellor’s lack of expression on the project does not necessarily indicate that Germany is opposed to the Greek plan. It promises to be mutually beneficial for both countries. Germany encounters bigger energy needs during winter while Greece must deal with greater energy demand in the summer.

The meeting between Manousakis, IPTO’s CEO, with Germany’s new ambassador to Greece, could end up generating momentum for further talks between officials and convergence.

IPTO has expressed preference for a HVDC-technology subsea route for the Green Aegean grid interconnection that would pass through the Adriatic Sea to Slovenia, followed by an overland route to Austria and Germany’s south.

IPTO recently held related talks with TenneT, Germany’s biggest power grid operator, and Slovenian operator ELES.

 

IPTO submits Green Aegean proposal to ENTSO-E

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Greek power grid operator IPTO has submitted a Green Aegean grid interconnection plan, envisaged to run from Greece to Germany’s south, to the ten-year development plan of ENTSO-E, promoting closer cooperation across Europe’s TSOs to support the implementation of EU energy policy and achieve Europe’s energy and climate policy objectives.

The project’s inclusion in the development plan of ENTSO-E, representing operators from all of the EU’s 27 member states, would represent a significant first step towards PCI/PMI status for the project, securing EU funding, as planned by IPTO.

IPTO prefers a HVDC-technology subsea route for the Green Aegean grid interconnection that would pass through the Adriatic Sea to Slovenia, followed by an overland route to Austria and Germany’s south.

IPTO recently held related talks with TenneT, Germany’s biggest power grid operator, and Slovenian operator ELES.

TenneT has expressed strong interest in the Green Aegean grid interconnection and the prospect of collaborating with IPTO on the project’s development for a link with Germany’s grid in the southern part of the country.

HVDC-technology enables transmission of large quantities of electricity over long distances via submarine cables, as well as fast and accurate control of power flow, enhancing grid stability.

 

IPTO favors subsea route, HVDC for Green Aegean

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Power grid operator IPTO has settled on proposing a subsea route for the Green Aegean grid interconnection, a pivotal project envisaged to run from Greece to Germany’s south, which, according to the operator’s preferred route, would pass through the Adriatic Sea to Slovenia, followed by an overland route to Austria and Germany’s south.

The operator has abandoned an alternative overland western Balkans route for the project, through Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia, over cost-related concerns. This route would entail upgrading pylons at outdated networks in these countries, making the venture financially unfeasible.

As a result, IPTO is now holding talks with TenneT, Germany’s biggest power grid operator, for its proposed underwater route, a more independent passage that would not require the usage of networks at any neighboring countries and be equipped with HVDC technology.

If IPTO’s envisaged route is finally adopted, then Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ proposal for the establishment of a European Grid Facility to fund upgrades of outdated Balkan networks and, subsequently, enable a Green Aegean crossing, will no longer apply. Mitsotakis presented his proposal during an EU summit last March.

Usage of HVDC technology for such projects is crucial as it enables transmission of large quantities of electricity over long distances via submarine cables; fast and accurate control of power flow, enhancing grid stability; and the interconnection of incompatible networks.