by Lalela Chrisanthopoulou

 

"If we do not reach the major consumption centers of Europe, we will not be able to export the energy we produce," the vice-president and general director of Technology, System Development and Strategy of the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO), Ioannis Margaris, said during a presentation at the 6th Infrastructure & Transport Conference.

 

Margaris explained that the green energy already produced in Greece is many times the quantities traded through the existing interconnections, given the congestion observed in the networks of the neighboring Balkan countries, creating the need for the development of new and larger international energy corridors to the countries of central Europe.

 

He underlined that Greece is currently at a critical crossroads regarding its energy mix, as its green production potential far exceeds domestic demand. As he said, the installed capacity of RES units of all technologies is now close to 12 GW, the Operator has awarded connection bids for an additional 15 GW of green projects, while future planning includes the integration of additional capacity from offshore wind farms as well.

 

He also referred to the main challenges for the rapid implementation of international interconnections, such as the need for coordination between many involved bodies (states, administrators, regulatory authorities), the financing of projects and also the licensing which can prove to be particularly time-consuming, citing the example of Germany, which delayed for a decade to license the new domestic electricity axis between the North Sea and the southern part of the country.

 

"If we do not reach the major consumption centers of Europe, we will not be able to export the energy we produce," the vice-president and general director of Technology, System Development and Strategy of the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO), Ioannis Margaris, said during a presentation at the 6th Infrastructure & Transport Conference.

 

The implementation of the Greece-Cyprus-Israel interconnection is closer than ever

 

Asked about the Greece-Cyprus-Israel interconnection, the vice-president of IPTO stated that the implementation of the project "is closer than ever." He reminded that IPTO has been assisting the project on a technical level for several years, while in the last year it has submitted an offer for its shareholding in the implementing body EuroAsia Interconnector, at a rate of 25% to 33%. He also added that IPTO recently looked for additional investors, including an Israeli investment fund, emphasizing the particular interest that Israel has expressed, in the absence of its electrical interconnections with neighboring states in the Middle East.

 

Margaris also mentioned that studies are progressing for the design of the equipment that should be installed in Cyprus, analyzing the demanding technical characteristics of the interconnection, such as the length and the great depths of the cables, which in some places even exceed 2,500 meters above sea level.