Renewables in Greece get shortcut to grid connection with PPAs

Renewable electricity projects in Greece that have power purchase agreements signed with energy-intensive industrial consumers can skip the line for final connection offers from the Independent Power Transmission Operator.

Developers of green power plant projects in Greece applied with their power purchase agreements – PPAs for an overall 3.8 GW to get grid connection priority, Energypress learned from unnamed sources. The government directive includes the possibility of lowering the capacity by 20% so that more facilities come online. It translates to slightly over 3 GW with a possibility to be fast-tracked.

IPTO seen issuing final offers for 1.5 GW

The priority clause is envisaged for PPAs with domestic energy-intensive industrial producers as well as power plants for agricultural purposes. The round was closed on April 16.

Still, the total portfolio planned for supplying the industry that would get final connection offers from the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO or, in Greek, Admie) is likely to be lower, the article adds. The media outlet’s market sources estimated it at 2 GW. The Ministry of Environment and Energy is expected to issue a decision that 1.5 GW would bypass the regular procedure, the news website added.

One of the conditions is for the offtaker to submit a report on its annual electricity consumption over the previous three years. The idea is to cut energy costs as soon as possible.

PPC has 820 MW of solar power closest to shortcut

The report points to the solar PPAs that government-controlled Public Power Corp. (PPC) signed with metals conglomerate Viohalco and  Titan Cement as the first in line for the grid connection approval. The initial bilateral contracts, for 520 MW and 300 MW, respectively, are said to have been recently renegotiated.

Developers adjusted some other submitted PPAs to include a consumer if they originally agreed them only with a supplier, according to the Greek media. The changes reportedly included price cuts.

IPTO’s April report showed that operational power plants reached 13.1 GW in combined capacity, of which 5.4 GW is in its transmission network and the rest on the distribution level. Together with projects that obtained final grid connection offers, the sums are 28.5 GW and 19.2 GW, respectively. The total is already 5 GW higher than the target in the National Energy and Climate Plan.