Can a battery storage plant be built in Greece?

An increasing number of local and foreign companies are interested in building energy storage facilities in sun-loving Greece using battery technology. In fact, the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) has been receiving applications for permits concerning battery storage plants.

What is the future of battery storage in Greece?

Overall, following last months public consultation, the Greek ministry of the environment and energy presented a bolder and even more ambitious battery storage program, allowing for longer completion times but retaining the financial and competition guarantees in place.

How many storage plants are there in Greece?

Currently there are four (4) storage plants operating in Greece, two open-loop pumped-hydro storage (PHS) stations in the mainland (700 ΜW in total) and two small hybrid RES-storage stations in non-interconnected islands (just 3 MW).

Should Greece invest in energy storage facilities?

Currently there is a growing interest for investments in storage facilities in Greece. Licensed projects mostly consist of Li-ion battery energy storage systems (BESS), either stand-alone or integrated in PVs, as well as PHS facilities .

How long does it take to get a battery system in Greece?

Battery systems sought for the islands that link to Greece’s mainland electricity system (e.g. Crete) also have 150 days to apply for the new program. Projects larger than 10 MW need to apply for a grid connection agreement to the transmission network operator, while projects up to 10 MW need to apply to the distributor grid operator.

How many GW of battery energy storage will be installed?

However, its final decision is targeting a total of 4.7 GW of new utility-scale, front-of-the-meter, standalone battery energy storage projects. Of this capacity, 3.8 GW of batteries will link to the transmission network and 900 MW of capacity will be installed on the distribution network.