Greece's Western Region to Get $6.4B for Green Energy Shift
Greece's clean energy goals are expected to create 20,000 jobs during construction and 2,000 jobs once fully operational.
PPC will invest €1.2 billion in solar parks on former mining sites.
The largest power producer and electricity supply company in Greece, Public Power Corporation (PPC), is to invest €5.75 billion ($6.4 billion) in a green energy and technology hub in the Western Macedonia region.
The object of the initiative is to speed up the transition of Greece and southeastern Europe to cleaner energy and to provide a fillip to economic development in the area.
€2.3 billion will be set aside for a data centre at the Agios Dimitrios power plant, with an initial capacity of 300 megawatts (MW), making it one of the largest in Europe and expected to be fully operational by 2027. If demand increases, the company may expand the capacity to 1,000 MW.
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As part of transforming its former mining sites in Western Macedonia and using them more sustainably, PPC will build solar parks with a €1.2 billion investment. They provide a combined capacity of 2,130 MW and play a larger role in replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources.
Other plans of the company include €940 million in support for energy storage projects with a total capacity of 860 MW. They will help stabilise the grid by storing surplus renewable energy to make it accessible when needed.
The Ptolemaida 5 lignite-fired power plant will be converted into a 350 MW open-cycle natural gas unit by 2027, with plans for a 500 MW combined-cycle gas turbine upgrade.
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Finally, in association with the Hellenic Hydrogen joint venture, PPC is developing Greece's first industrial-scale green hydrogen production unit in Amyntaio, supporting the country's clean hydrogen production.
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Source: Reuters
