Renewables

Open call for green hydrogen high-efficiency CHP pilot plant in northern Greece

Open call for green hydrogen combined heat and power pilot project in Western Macedonia

Photo: iStock

Published

July 4, 2025

Country

Comments

comments icon

0

Share

Published:

July 4, 2025

Country:

Comments:

comments icon

0

Share

Greece’s Alternate Minister of Economy and Finance Nikos Papathanasis has launched an open call for the installation and operation of a high-efficiency combined heat and power (CHP) unit using fuel cells powered by green hydrogen. The site for the pilot project is in the Western Macedonia coal region in the country’s north. It is part of the government’s Just Development Transition Programme 2021–2027.

Western Macedonia is Greece’s main coal region, and the other one is Megalopolis in the Peloponnese. The country is transforming the economies of the two areas toward clean and smart technologies, largely with funding from the European Union and aiming at a just transition.

The open call signed by Alternate Minister Nikos Papathanasis for the installation and operation of a pilot unit for high-efficiency combined heat and power (CHP) facility, running on fuel cells, has a total budget of EUR 7.87 million. The facility would utilize green hydrogen produced in electrolyzers powered by renewable electricity.

The energy would be used to provide 24/7 power and heat to the Bodosakeio General Hospital of Ptolemaida, the Chemical Process & Energy Resources Institute (CPERI) in the same city and the Daycare Center for People with Disabilities in the municipality of Eordaia.

The deadline for proposal submission is October 31

The deadline for the submission of proposals is October 31, with immediate evaluation of applications.

The project is for the construction of a pilot CHP unit and a photovoltaic park on municipal land in Eordaia.

According to the announcement from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the flagship initiative aims to showcase and implement cutting-edge energy and environmental technologies, contributing to the region’s energy transition and decarbonization efforts.

In April, Public Power Corp. (PPC) announced a EUR 5.8 billion investment plan to support the transition of Western Macedonia. The endeavor consists of the decommissioning of old assets and the rollout of new energy technologies.

According to the decarbonization timeframe, Ptolemaida 5 will be the last coal plant in the country, continuing to operate until the end of 2026. It is set to be converted to a gas power plant with a capacity of 350 MW. PPC is also open to upgrading it to 500 MW or even 1 GW.

The plan also includes: 2.1 GW of solar PV capacity, with one 550 MW project nearing completion in a former lignite mine, 860 MW of energy storage, including pumped hydro and battery systems, and a 300 MW data center, planned to be scaled up to 1 GW.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

serbia russia nuclear energy Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko dubravka djedovic

Đedović Handanović discusses Serbia’s nuclear power plan with Russian ambassador

14 August 2025 - Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović met with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko

Floating solar farm ready to be merged with North Sea offshore wind park

Floating solar farm ready to be merged with North Sea offshore wind park

14 August 2025 - Oceans of Energy has assembled its floating PV plant Nymphaea Aurora in three days, to integrate it into a giant offshore wind park

Romania completes second round renewable energy auctions third wind quota unallocated

Romania completes second round of renewable energy auctions – third of wind quota unallocated

13 August 2025 - Romania completed its second round of renewable energy auctions. More than one third of the wind power quota wasn't allocated and prices rose.

DRI secures financing for Vacaresti solar park in Romania

13 August 2025 - DRI obtained non-recourse loans of up to EUR 60 million to finance its Vacaresti solar park in Romania