Subsidies from the Rooftop Photovoltaic Program announced by the Prime Minister at TIF for the installation of 250,000 photovoltaic cells will go exclusively to photovoltaic systems incorporating a battery. This is clarified by the Minister of Environment and Energy Kostas Skrekas in an interview with K, even saying that the battery will be subsidized up to 100%. The total subsidy for the installation of the system will reach 60%, while the program also has a separate category for vulnerable households. According to the minister, the goal is to open the application platform by the third week of March, with the only mandatory criterion for beneficiaries being the conclusion of a connection agreement with DEDDIE.

With regard to energy prices, the responsible minister believes that despite the de-escalation, “any forecast will be risky”, he confirms the government’s commitment to keeping them at an affordable level for consumers and heralds … good news for the industry and the cost of electricity. “We are negotiating the adoption of new measures that will further relieve the Greek business, having exhausted the possibilities of the state budget,” he emphasizes. Mr. Skrekas also speaks about the ambitious goals in the renewable energy sector, as well as the hydrocarbon project. If initial estimates are confirmed, the first drilling will take place during 2025, he emphasizes, while making it clear that “the government is not going to make any concessions in terms of environmental protection.”

– Indeed, prices are on the path of de-escalation, which has accelerated even after the EU decision. to set a realistic ceiling on natural gas markets, as the Greek prime minister has been proposing since last March. However, we must not forget that the energy crisis is not over yet and any forecasts would be risky. In addition, according to international analyzes, the coming winter will be full of challenges. Our strategy remains firm and consistent: we provide affordable energy prices for citizens and accelerate the production of clean energy in order to constantly reduce prices and prevent the causes of climate change.

“Our priority was to keep prices affordable, and we succeeded with direct government subsidies that citizens saw on their energy bills. At the same time, the government, in order to effectively deal with the high prices of the wholesale market, has created an innovative mechanism for recovering excess profits in electricity generation. Thus, electricity generators are not compensated based on the DAM price reflected in the wholesale market, but according to the cap we set. We collected the resulting difference by sending more than 3 billion euros to pay our electricity bills. Thus, from September to the present day, we have managed to provide Greece with one of the lowest prices on the retail electricity market.

Keeping prices at an affordable level was our priority, and we succeeded despite the difficulties.

“Removal of the rehabilitation clause, combined with direct subsidies on electricity bills, has significantly reduced the cost of energy for consumers, not increased it at all. At the same time, we have created a more competitive and transparent pricing system for the benefit of citizens. For example, in February, with a government subsidy, some providers set prices lower than before the energy crisis.

Indeed, there are months when, due to changes in energy prices, suppliers can make estimates of where wholesale prices will move, resulting in losses or excess revenues. For this reason, we have announced a new mechanism for taxing potential fee income. Our policy is clear. We will not allow anyone to speculate at the expense of consumers.

– Since the beginning of the energy crisis, we have supported the Greek industry, as well as households and farmers, by providing significant horizontal subsidies. We were the first country to receive approval from the European Commission to subsidize energy bills for all businesses. The government acknowledges that the unprecedented surge in energy prices is putting suffocating pressure on the industry. We are negotiating the adoption of new measures that will further relieve the Greek business, having exhausted the possibilities of the state budget. We demonstrate our support for the industry through our actions and commit to continue to support it for as long as it takes.

– The windfall recovery mechanism for all electricity generation technologies is in place until June 2023 and will be lifted when energy prices return to normal levels. If, in the end, prices do not normalize and the mechanism remains in place, we have moved on to the adoption of a scheme that will allow for the release of the restriction on the sale of green electricity with bilateral contracts and physical delivery.

“The program guide is ready and our goal is to open the application platform by the third week of March. The program announced by the prime minister at TIF will give a 60% subsidy for rooftop photovoltaic systems with batteries, while there will be a separate category for our vulnerable fellow citizens. The only mandatory criterion for applying for funding from beneficiaries will be that they have an association agreement with DEDDIE. That is, to reserve the electrical space for the installation of their photovoltaic. The cost of installing a battery will be subsidized up to 100% as part of the government’s goal of making consumers energy independent, which will significantly reduce their electricity costs.

Greece to become Europe’s “green” energy gateway

– Indeed, the new National Energy and Climate Plan sets a high bar for the introduction of new renewable energy projects. Our goal is that by 2030, 80% of electricity consumed in Greece will come from renewable sources. At the moment, we have already given mandatory conditions for connecting renewable energy projects to the grid, which, together with those that are in operation, cover our goal for 2030. In particular, according to DEDDIE, it will exceed the target of the new ESEK by 5 years. earlier, by 8%, as it increased annual renewable energy input by 346% from 2019 to 2022, connecting 600% more projects in the same period.

In order to achieve our ambitious goals, we are accordingly strengthening the development and expansion projects of our electrical networks, as well as advancing an expanded program for the development of energy storage systems, such as batteries and pumped storage projects, through which sufficient electrical space is created for greater penetration of RES. It is significant that over the past three years, ADMIE has invested 1.2 billion euros, and DEDDIE has increased its investments by 50% from 2020 to 2022 compared to the period 2017-2019. The planned storage capacity reaches 7,000 MW by 2030 so that we can store, for example, the energy generated by the sun and use it in the evening hours. The government strongly supports these projects, financial and institutional, since the expansion of the participation of RES in the energy balance, in addition to environmental benefits, also brings financial benefits to consumers.

– You often talk about the role of the country as an energy corridor for natural gas and electricity. Where are these estimates based?

“The country’s key geographic location, coupled with decisive government action, sets Greece apart as an important energy crossroads. We are upgrading electrical connections with neighboring countries and developing critical infrastructure to expand our ability to import and export natural gas. We are building a Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Station (FSRU) in Alexandroupolis while another related FSRU project, the Dioryga project, is maturing in Corinth. We have launched the Greek-Bulgarian IGB pipeline into commercial operation and are already discussing an increase in its capacity from 3 to 5 billion cubic meters. Finally, we are accelerating iconic green interconnections that will reduce energy costs for Greek consumers with, for example, Egypt, with the ability to transport 3 GW of clean energy, and we have also proposed an electrical connection between Greece and Austria. and Germany through the Western Balkans. For the first time, Greece occupies a leading position on the energy map of Europe and becomes an important pillar of energy security and stability for the entire South-Eastern Europe.