DM Monitoring
ATHENS: Greece has made significant progress in recent years on shifting to a greener energy model, and supporting investments in renewable energy sources (RES), the country warmly welcomes the expansion of Sino-Greek cooperation in this field, Alexandra Sdoukou, secretary general for energy and mineral resources at the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy, told media in a recent interview here..
Last September, Greece broke both a national and a European record. On Sept. 14, 2020, RES (wind, photovoltaic) covered for 51 percent of the country’s energy needs (57 percent including hydroelectric power), according to the Independent Power Transmission Operator S.A. (IPTO or ADMIE in Greek).
On the same day, wind power covered 40 percent of Greece’s energy use, the highest percentage in Europe, according to WindEurope, an association that advocates wind energy policies for Europe on behalf of more than 400 member companies.
Greece is moving forward at a fast pace and is ahead of many larger European countries in terms of RES penetration in the energy mix, Sdoukou said. The share of RES in the country’s final energy consumption was 20 percent in 2020, higher than the initial national target of 18 percent and aligned with the European Union (EU) target for 2020 of 20 percent.
“Greece is at the forefront among countries that face with determination the issues of climate change and promotion of RES,” she said. “Overall, we have a strategic goal as a country for an energy model that is greener, cleaner, more efficient but also more competitive, which we want to implement through comprehensive energy policies based on the support of RES investments.” Greece’s National Energy and the Climate Plan which was revised a few months ago, provides for installed electricity generation capacity from wind power to rise from 3.6 GW in 2020 to 5.2 GW in 2025 and seven GW by 2030. Installed photovoltaic capacity is projected to rise from 3 GW in 2020 to 7.7 GW by 2030. Greece’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction, energy saving and RES penetration targets are more ambitious than those of the EU as a whole, proving the country’s determination to move away from traditional energy sources sooner, the official explained.
