From：Balkan Green Energy News Author: Igor Todorović
Documents are being prepared for the other half of capacity in photovoltaic systems planned at 3 GW in total. The dominant power producer wants to install one of the world’s biggest solar power plants at opencut mines and accompanying coal facilities scheduled to be shut down in the northwest of Greece.
Following the 1.5 GW from the quarterly round in December, PPC Renewables SA intends to file documentation for the remainder of two photovoltaic projects that would be among the biggest in the world. The company informed the press it would apply at the authority competent for licenses for another 1.5 GW in capacity. It is for solar power units of 2 GW and 1 GW, being developed by the government-controlled power utility of Greece.
The subsidiary of Public Power Corp. SA has the ambition to almost match the record size in the class, currently held by two facilities in India’s Rajasthan and Karnataka. The plan is to place the bigger solar power endeavor in the lignite mines in the northwest of Greece. They are in the region of Western Macedonia.
The other PV plant should be installed near the southern town of Megalopolis in the Peloponnese.
Licensing procedure simplified
The Regulatory Authority for Energy may skip the application cycle in the first trimester, the media learned, leaving June as the next opportunity. Namely, that’s when a simplified procedure comes into force. The Ministry of Environment and Energy decided last month that a production license won’t be necessary anymore.
PPC Renewables has projected the beginning of works for next year, aiming to commission both systems in 2024. Speed is of the essence for the fair transition concept as the operations would provide a substantial number of jobs against the phaseout of the said coal complex.
Ventures in pipeline
The project in Macedonia may apparently be broken up into ventures with different partners. Energypress learned from unnamed insiders the firm’s condition is to have the right to buy them out at some point. The overall portfolio may thus reach 8 GW.
Hellenic Petroleum revealed it would build a 205 MW solar power array in the northwest of Greece with German partners
The long-term plan is to rehabilitate up to 2,000 hectares under the opencut mines and industrial units. The decision makers have the vision to lure investments in sectors including manufacturing and agritourism.
Oil company Hellenic Petroleum SA has just announced it would build a 205 MW solar power plant with a German corporation. It revealed the photovoltaic facility would be located in the same area, in Ptolemaida, but it didn’t identify the partner.
EU solidarity
Germany and other developed countries have succeeded with similar ideas and the European Union is setting aside funds to help cushion the impact of the energy transition. The latest estimates show the switch to solar power and gas in the coal hub is bound to affect 20,000 jobs in Greece.
The state is eligible for up to EUR 4.4 billion of the EU solidarity funds, according to prebudget calculations.
PPC is also looking into opportunities for waste incineration and biomass projects in the northwest and ways to utilize the existing infrastructure. Greece indicated it would declare the lignite region a special tax area and offer incentives to consumers to switch to gas for heating, Business Daily reported.
EDP Renewables wants in on as much as 400 MW in green energy capacity in joint efforts with PPC
In other news, the conglomerate, also known for its domestic acronym DEI, said its green energy branch signed a memorandum of understanding with EDP Renewables SA or EDPR, run by EDP – Energias de Portugal SA. They expressed willingness to get at least 400 MW of power capacity online together.
