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					</table><p><a href="https://ypen.gov.gr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Greece</a> will provide €238 million (~$260.6 million) in subsidies to households and farmers for installing solar systems combined with a storage battery.</p>
<p>The program will remain open until the end of June 2024 or until the available resources are exhausted.</p>
<p>The maximum installed capacity eligible for subsidy is set at 10.8 kW. Subsidy for the battery will be up to a capacity of 10.8 kWh.</p>
<p>Households must install a solar system with a battery, while farmers can choose between the two options. The system can be placed on the roof, in auxiliary areas of the building, agricultural site, or on the ground.</p>
<p>The program emphasizes supporting vulnerable households, and a budget of €45 million (~$49.2 million) is explicitly dedicated to this group.</p>
<p>A total of €100 million (~$110 million) is dedicated to citizens with an individual annual income of up to €20,000 (~$21,200) or family income of up to €40,000 (~$43,798).</p>
<p>Nearly €63 million (~$69 million) is allocated solely for citizens whose individual income is more significant than €€20,000 (~$21,200) or whose family income is above €40,000 (~$43,798).</p>
<p>A total of €30 million (~$32.8 million) is allocated only for professional farmers and farmers with special status.</p>
<p>The program aims to fully cover the cost of the battery and the development and installation costs of the solar system. The battery subsidy is 100% for the first two categories, while for the third and fourth categories, it is 90%.</p>
<p>The subsidy for households ranges from 45% to 75%, while farmers can receive 40% to 60% for the solar system. In addition, the subsidy for the solar system with a battery can reach up to €16,000 (~$17,519) for households and €10,000 (~$10,949) for farmers.</p>
<p>Special bonuses of 10% are also provided for people with disabilities, spouses and dependent members of people with disabilities, and single-parent, three-child, and large-child families.</p>
<p>The program is part of the Greek government&#8217;s efforts to promote energy democracy, reduce citizens&#8217; electricity bills, and limit the country&#8217;s environmental footprint. According to Kostas Skrekas, the Minister of Environment and Energy, the program is a decisive step towards achieving these goals.</p>
<p>The European Parliament <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/european-mandate-solar-rooftops-new-buildings-2028" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adopted</a> the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, mandating solar rooftop systems for all new buildings by 2028 and renovating residential buildings by 2032.</p>
<p>Last year, the European Commission <a href="https://mercomindia.com/eu-proposes-mandatory-rooftop-solar-for-all-new-buildings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposed</a> the solar rooftop initiative mandating all new public, commercial, and residential buildings to install solar in a phased manner.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Arjun Joshi</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Arjun-Joshi-1.png" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Arjun Joshi,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Arjun Joshi.</a></p>
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<p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Arjun-Joshi-1.png" width="86" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Arjun Joshi</strong> </a>is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Before joining Mercom, he worked as a technical writer for enterprise resource software companies based in India and abroad. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Psychology, and Optional English from Garden City University, Bangalore. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Arjun Joshi.</a></p>
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Greece Launches $261 Million Rooftop Solar Subsidy Program

<p>Greece’s Regulatory Authority of Energy (<a href="https://www.rae.gr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RAE</a>) declared the results of the 350 MW joint competitive bidding for solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind projects. Solar PV projects ruled the roost as there were hardly any bidders for wind projects.</p>
<p>The bidding was held on May 24 for PV projects of a maximum capacity of 20 MW and wind projects of 50 MW totaling 350 MW.</p>
<p>A total of 126 participants submitted 2,188 bids. The tariffs quoted ranged from €0.03297 (~$0.040)/kWh to €0.0512 (~$0.062)/kWh, with a weighted average of €0.0376 (~$0.046)/kWh.</p>
<p>Of the total 350 MW, bids amounting to 349.91 MW were awarded to 15 companies and all of this was for solar projects. Greek company Egnatia Group won 19.3 MW of solar projects quoting the lowest tariff of €0.0329 (~$0.040)/kWh. Egnatia also won the largest capacity in the auction (144 MW). The highest tariff quoted in the auction was €0.0512 (~$0.050)/kWh by Polytechniki.</p>
<p>Last year, Greece had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/greece-developing-renewable-energy-projects/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approved</a> a budget of €2.02 billion (~$2.47 billion) to develop four renewable energy projects totaling 2.81 GW. Greece’s Interministerial Strategic Investment Committee approved an investment worth €888.13 million (~$108.59 million) for <a href="https://www.group-egnatia.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Egnatia Group</a> to develop 1.5 GW of solar projects across 12 regional units in Central and Northern Greece.</p>
<p>The committee also approved an investment worth €421.60 million (~$515.72 million) for Karatzi SA to build and operate 37 solar projects with a cumulative capacity of 830 MW. These projects would be developed in Larrisa, Magnesia, and Kilkis.</p>
<p>According to a report by <a href="https://www.amna.gr/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Athens News Agency – Macedonian Press Agency</a>, Greece was also likely to <a href="https://mercomindia.com/greece-to-spend-5-9-billion-for-lignite-phase-out/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spend</a> $5.9 billion to neutralize the economic impact of phasing off lignite-based power generation,</p>
<p>In a related development, the partially state-owned refinery and oil marketing company, Hellenic Petroleum has <a href="https://mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-renewsys-india/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">applied</a> for a €75 million ($89.11 million) loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Hellenic <a href="https://mercomindia.com/project-finance-brief-hellenic-petroleum/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acquired</a> a portfolio of solar PV projects at the final permitting stage in the wider Kozani region, Greece, from JUWI, in October 2020. When completed, the PV project will be the largest-scale RES initiative project in Greece and one of the biggest PV projects in Europe with a total planned installed capacity of 204 MW.</p>
<p>Tracing back India’s renewable energy ties with Greece, it could be noted that the two countries had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/india-agreements-fiji-greece-renewables/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> a memorandum of understanding back in 2017 to collaborate in the field of renewable energy.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/rahul-nair/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Rahul Nair</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p>Rahul is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Before entering the world of renewables, Rahul was head of the Gujarat bureau for The Quint. He has also worked for DNA Ahmedabad and Ahmedabad Mirror. Hailing from a banking and finance background, Rahul has also worked for JP Morgan Chase and State Bank of India. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rahul-nair/" rel="noopener noreferrer">More articles from Rahul Nair.</a></p>
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Solar Reigns Greece’s 350 MW Auction for Solar and Wind Projects

<p>Greece has approved a budget of €2.02 billion (~$2.47 billion) to develop four renewable energy projects totaling 2.81 GW.</p>
<p>Greece’s Interministerial Strategic Investment Committee approved an investment worth €888.13 million (~$108.59 million) for <a href="https://www.group-egnatia.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Egnatia Group</a> to develop 1.5 GW of solar projects across 12 regional units in Central and Northern Greece.</p>
<p>The committee also approved an investment worth €421.60 million (~$515.72 million) for Karatzi SA to build and operate 37 solar projects with a cumulative capacity of 830 MW. These projects would be developed in Larrisa, Magnesia, and Kilkis.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.terna-energy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Terna Energy</a> will be provided €585 million (~$715.65 million) to develop 18 wind projects with a total capacity of 360 MW in the Karystos municipality. These projects will be connected with the National Electricity Transmission System through a 69-kilometer long submarine cable.</p>
<p>Five other wind projects with a total capacity of 120.3 MW, with an investment worth €121.28 million (~$148.41 million), have been approved for <a href="https://www.kamaridis.gr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kamaridis GlobalWire</a>. These projects will come up in Xanthi and Rodopi.</p>
<p>“The need to implement these investment plans is imperative as they will create jobs, offering additional support to the local communities that will host these investments and will bring economic benefits both locally and nationally,” said Greece’s Deputy Minister of Development and Investment Nikos Papathanasis.</p>
<p>Greece is expected to <a href="https://mercomindia.com/greece-to-spend-5-9-billion-for-lignite-phase-out/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spend</a> $5.9 billion to neutralize the economic impact of phasing off lignite-based power generation. Greece is scheduled to abandon solid fossil fuels by 2028, both for environmental and economic reasons. To smoothen the transition, the Greek government has prepared a comprehensive plan to aid lignite phase-off and provide developmental support. Support would be for clean energy, industry, handicrafts and trade, smart agricultural production, sustainable tourism, technology, and education. The partially state-owned refinery and oil marketing company, Hellenic Petroleum, has applied for a €75 million ($89.11 million) loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for building a 204 MW solar park near the country’s lignite mining region.</p>
<p>In August 2020, PPC Renewables S.A., a Greece-based renewable energy company, <a href="https://mercomindia.com/tender-floated-solar-projects-greece/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">floated</a> a tender for 50 MW of solar photovoltaic projects.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/harsh-shukla/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Harsh Shukla</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Harsh-Shukla-293x300-1-new.jpg" width="99" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/harsh-shukla/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Harsh Shukla</strong> </a>is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Previously with Indian Express, he has covered general interest stories. He holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/harsh-shukla/">More articles from Harsh Shukla.</a></p>
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Greece Approves €2.02 Billion for Developing 2.81 GW of Renewable Energy Projects

<p>Greece is likely to spend $5.9 billion to neutralize the economic impact of phasing off lignite-based power generation according to a report by <a href="https://www.amna.gr/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Athens News Agency &#8211; Macedonian Press Agency</a>.</p>
<p>In a related development, the partially state-owned refinery and oil marketing company, Hellenic Petroleum (HELPE) has applied for a €75 million ($89.11 million) loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for building a 204 MW solar park near the country’s lignite mining region.</p>
<p>Greek environment and energy minister Kostis Hatzidakis told the agency: “We want a new beginning for Western Macedonia, not to depend only on energy, even after we move to RES (Renewable Energy Sources). We want it to be based on industry, handicrafts, alternative tourism, and ‘smart’ agriculture.”</p>
<p>“We have two main tools in this direction. One is the €5 billion ($5.9 billion) that will be given to the lignite areas, an amount ten times more than the Regional Program of Western Macedonia. The other is the framework of investment-tax incentives that will be finalized by the European Commission and will attract large and significant investments,” the minister told the agency.</p>
<p>Greece is scheduled to abandon solid fossil fuels by 2028, both for environmental and economic reasons. To smoothen the transition, the Greek government has prepared a comprehensive plan to aid lignite phase-off and provide developmental support. Support would be for clean energy, industry, handicrafts and trade, smart agricultural production, sustainable tourism, technology, and education.</p>
<p>The solar power project will be critical to Greece’s decarbonization plans that envisage the decommissioning of the country’s lignite-fired generation projects by 2028. Hellenic Petroleum’s photovoltaic complex will replace lignite-fueled thermal power plants in Western Macedonia.</p>
<p>According to EBRD, the project will create job opportunities, especially for the communities in proximity, mainly affected by the project. During construction, the project is expected to benefit local communities, as half of the 250-300 skilled and non-skilled workers required will be hired locally. Construction is scheduled to begin by the fourth quarter of 2020 and will require 18 months.</p>
<p>The solar power project will be one of the largest in Southeast Europe. It will avoid carbon dioxide generations of almost 187,000 tons per year and meet the power requirement of 75,000 households in Greece, EBRD said in its report.</p>
<p>Recently, <a href="https://www.ppcr.gr/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PPC Renewables S.A.</a>, a Greece-based renewable energy company, has floated a tender for 50 MW of solar projects. The last date for the submission of bids is September 30, 2020.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Germany is also <a href="https://mercomindia.com/germany-starts-bidding-process/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">working</a> towards phasing out its coal capacity against compensation. In a recent statement, Germany’s power regulator Bundesnetzagentur said that a maximum of 4,000 MW would be eligible for compensation.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/debjoy-sengupta/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Debjoy Sengupta</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="authorboxn" style="padding-bottom: 20px"><a href="#" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Debjoy Sengupta</strong> </a>is a research analyst at Mercom India Research.</div>
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<div class="authorboxn"><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/debjoy-sengupta" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Debjoy Sengupta</a></div>
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Greece Likely to Spend $5.9 Billion for Lignite Phase-Out, Set Up a 204 MW Solar Park

<p><a href="https://www.ppcr.gr/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PPC Renewables S.A.</a>, a Greece-based renewable energy company, has floated a tender for 50 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects.</p>
<p>The last date for the submission of bids is September 30, 2020.</p>
<p>According to the tender document, the estimated value of the project is €30.72 million (~$36.36 million). Interested bidders are expected to pay an earnest money deposit of €614,500 (~$727,721).<br />
The tender is for two solar PV projects, one of 39 MW and the other of 11 MW.</p>
<p>The scope of work includes planning, design, supply, civil engineering works, transportation, and operation of both the solar projects and one 33kV/150kV outdoor substation.</p>
<p>To be eligible to take part in the competitive bidding process, applicants should have carried out at least one 30 MW of solar project in the last ten financial years for the 39 MW of solar project. Applicants must have carried out at least one 4 MW of solar project in the last ten financial years for the 11 MW project. Applicants should have constructed at least two MT/HV substations with a rated high voltage (HV) of at least 150kV and M/S power more than 40/50 Mega Volt Ampere in the last five calendar years to be eligible to bid for the outdoor substation project.</p>
<p>The tender document stated that applicants must have an average turnover of not less than 30% of the total value of the project in the last three years.</p>
<p>Arkadikos Ilios I S.A. and Arkadikos Ilios II S.A., wholly-owned subsidiaries of PPC Renewables S.A., will be the contracting entities for all projects. Both projects with a cumulative capacity of 50 MW will be situated at Megales Lakkes in the municipality of Megalopolis, Greece.</p>
<p>According to the Hellenic Association of Photovoltaic Companies (HELAPCO), Greece had a 160 MW of new solar installed capacity in 2019, and cumulative installations stood at 2.8 GW at the end of 2019. HELAPCO is a Greece-based non-profit organization, which represents the PV companies in Greece.</p>
<p>Mercom earlier <a href="https://mercomindia.com/india-agreements-fiji-greece-renewables/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> that the Government of India had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in the field of renewable energy with Greece. The MoU was signed by the External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj and her counterpart Nikos Kotzias during the latter’s visit to New Delhi in November 2017.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/harsh-shukla/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Harsh Shukla</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Harsh-Shukla-293x300-1-new.jpg" width="99" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/harsh-shukla/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Harsh Shukla</strong> </a>is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Previously with Indian Express, he has covered general interest stories. He holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/harsh-shukla/">More articles from Harsh Shukla.</a></p>
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