Greece to mount 3 GW of solar in mining areas

Feb 17, 2020 07:48 AM ET
  • Greece has actually revealed strategies to mount 2 PV projects at extracting websites. The setups belong to the nationwide utility's brand-new method, in accordance with the nation's initiatives to terminate coal.
Greece to mount 3 GW of solar in mining areas
Image: Michael Mahlberg/Flickr

Greece has actually revealed strategies to set up 2 big solar PV parks at extracting websites. The financial investment will certainly originate from the nationwide electrical utility as part of its brand-new method, in accordance with Greece's initiatives to eliminate coal.

The Greek solar market has actually gone back to development using a collection of tenders, as private stars significantly accept PV innovation to decrease prices as well as reach their sustainability criteria. And also a current wave of main statements pertaining to the growth of solar PV projects in the nation's mining areas has actually additionally begun to control headings.

The objective is to set up an enormous 2 GW solar project in Ptolemaida (Kozani), north Greece, as well as one more 1 GW photovoltaic park on the Peloponnese Peninsula, southerly Greece. Building is readied to begin by as very early as following year.

Mega-solar strategies

Greece's atmosphere and also power priest, Kostis Hatzidakis, made an official news last weekend break when fulfilling regional stakeholders in Ptolemaida, in Greece's Macedonia area.

The priest stated Greece's Public Power Corp. (PPC) would certainly relocate "quickly" to mount a 2 GW solar PV plant in the area, which is recognized for lignite mining.

Pay Per Click CEO George Stassis validated that the state-owned utility had actually sent an application to the Greek power regulatory authority, RAE, for a producing permit for 1.5 GW of PV capability in Ptolemaida in December.

Nonetheless, pv magazine has actually discovered that PPC additionally prepares to mount an added 1 GW of solar PV capability in Megalopoli, which additionally has mining websites as well as a coal-fired nuclear power plant.

Simply Transition

The step belongs to Greece's initiatives to terminate coal from its electrical power system by 2028. Hatzidakis informed regional stakeholders in Ptolemaida that the federal government will certainly assist the area change to a brand-new financial version, without counting on the exploitation of nonrenewable fuel sources. The huge 2 GW photovoltaic park is likewise part of the federal government's strategy to develop brand-new work in the area as it shifts to a coal-free future.

The Greek federal government has actually asked for the technological help of the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB), and also the European Bank for Reconstruction and also Development (EBRD) to create a brand-new financial version for the nation's mining areas.

Greece's mining communities will certainly additionally be sustained by the European Union's Just Transition Mechanism, which becomes part of the bloc's Green Deal. It will certainly activate funds to sustain employees as well as people of the areas that will certainly be most impacted by the change to a coal-free future.

The federal government's strategies are motivating, however it is dissuading that to day regional stakeholders (that is, community councils in the mining areas) have actually been not able to prepare any kind of significant propositions. Need to this proceed, the shift to a post-lignite period will certainly need to occur with a top-down technique.

The Greek arm of the World Wide Fund (WWF) has actually generated a docudrama that discovers the EU Just Transition in Greece. The docudrama, that includes English captions, is offered through this web link.

Financial feeling

Aside from the ecological inspiration, Greece's plan choice to eliminate its state-owned lignite fleet likewise makes financial feeling.

The PPC is shedding millions every year by running uneconomic lignite systems and also the firm is running a big shortage. Unless it folds its lignite company, the PPC is established for personal bankruptcy.

The brand-new Greek federal government chosen in July has actually designated George Stassis to change the PPC as well as update its out-of-date company approach.

Part of the PPC's technique U-turn is to buy renewables, either alone of with top worldwide stars. The PPC's benefit is that it has around 6 GW of eco-friendly power ability to certify out and also a few of this ability is anticipated to be accepted in the future.

Nevertheless, at the same time, this has actually begun to come to be much less of a benefit, considered that Greece's federal government introduced in January that it is basically reorganizing its licensing regimen, in order to present an electronic system that accelerates the entire procedure.

The PPC has actually authorized a variety of memoranda of collaboration with worldwide companies to collectively create sustainable power projects in Greece. Today for instance, the PPC authorized a teamwork contract with Portugal's EDP Renewables, intending to co-develop a minimum of 400 MW of eco-friendly power ability in Greece.

The PPC's substantial PV parks in the mining areas will likely be separated right into unique function car companies to be co-financed with global stars.

Kozani project

On the other hand, Greece's power preacher additionally revealed that German developer Juwi is offering 204 MW of ability under growth in Kozani, protected under 3 tender agreements, to Greece's Hellenic Petroleum.

The project is composed of 3 pieces (139.24 MW, 27.68 MW as well as 37.37 MW), with the biggest piece having actually won a toll of EUR0.05446/ kWh, as well as the various other 2 a EUR0.06472/ kWh toll each.


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