OUR Crete and in particular the sea area from Sitia to Xirokampos, on the north coast of the eastern tip of the island and east of Ierapetra, North Aegean between Lemnos and Ag. Efstratiou, Dodecanese along the axis of Ikaria – Patmos – Leros and Cyclades these are the areas where the first offshore wind farms in Greece will be installed, outside the maritime demarcation zone Alexandroupolis as a “First Choice RES Zone”, which will host pilot projects with a total capacity of 600 MW under a special development regime established by law two months ago.

These maritime zones, and probably also to the east of Evia, are reported to include National Offshore Wind Farm Development Program which will provide investors with the cleanest possible zones for the organized development of offshore wind farms in terms of restrictions.

Competent authority EDEFEP (Hellenic Hydrocarbons Management Authority) is in the final stages of finalizing the national program with offshore zones, where the first 2000-2500 MW offshore wind farms will be built, the design of which is expected to be presented by the competent Ministry of Environment and Energy until the end of May.

The project will include the above areas as potential for the development of offshore wind farms, and once approved by the KYA by the nine participating ministries, there will be a precise delineation of organized development areas as well as offshore “sites” within each of them. the organized area will be transferred to investors through tenders. The national election process is estimated to drag on from two weeks to two months if there is a second round to form a government.

With the completion of interconnections, the network will be able to cover a capacity of 2000-2500 MW.

The selection of territories was based on an assessment of a number of criteria (environmental, spatial, economic, social and geopolitical) and after constant consultation with the participating ministries and licensing authorities (Ministry of Defense, Maritime Economy, Culture, Foreign Affairs). , Aviation Services, Fisheries Authority, Environment Authority, etc.) to avoid prior restrictions that could result in delays.

The first criterion for selecting the most suitable areas was the wind potential, since the intensity of the winds determines both the degree of return on investment and the price of energy produced. EDEFEP then considered the possibilities of absorbing the generated power from the grid.

OUR Electricity Transmission Operator (ADMIE) provided timely and accurate data on network capacity and additional energy absorption potential in each of the North Aegean, Dodecanese, Crete and Cyclades clusters. With the completion of the interconnections, the network will be able to cover the 2000-2500 MW capacity envisaged by the national plan for offshore wind farms until 2030. , EDEYEP, which by law has the competence of project management, and ELETAEN (Greek Scientific Association of Wind Energy), is that, on the one hand, there must be some kind of intervention to allocate this capacity exclusively to offshore projects and, on the other hand, must restrictions should be placed on its participation in the projects that will actually be implemented in order to avoid the phenomenon of electric space sequestration by waterlogged projects, which is observed with land-based wind and photovoltaic installations.

Geopolitical criteria, such as, for example, six miles in the Aegean and Crete, significantly limit the range of offshore wind development zones in specific areas, and tourism, accordingly, imposes restrictions on the boundaries of the sea zones in the Cyclades, which reflect the richest wind potential. Much in terms of real opportunities to use the country’s offshore wind energy potential will also be assessed during public consultations with local communities and agencies. However, the heads of administrations of the three organizations playing a central role in the implementation of national offshore wind farm planning (EDEYEP, ADMIE and ELETAEN) confirmed at yesterday’s meeting their close cooperation to move the projects forward quickly.

Greek and foreign investors in a fighting stance

The first round of offshore land auctions for the installation of offshore wind farms will cover projects with a minimum capacity of 200-250 MW. The limit, according to the information, is set on the basis of the maximum possible efficiency of projects and the guarantee of a low price of energy produced for consumers, since projects will receive operational support for 20 years.

This means that in the first phase and based on an auction with a total capacity of 2000-2500 MW until 2030, envisaged by the National Energy and Climate Plan (ESEK), a maximum of about 10-12 wind farms will be installed in Greece. seas. A number of these will be floating wind turbines with a minimum power rating of 200 MW and a number of fixed offshore wind turbines with a minimum power rating of 250 MW.

The emerging new market is being competed by powerful foreign companies that have the know-how and have teamed up with domestic energy groups. The law sets high standards for technical and financial adequacy criteria for investors.

About 10-12 wind farms will be installed in the Greek seas by 2030, according to ESEK.

Applications for permits to study offshore wind farms can be submitted by companies with proven or proven experience over the past 10 years in the development and operation of relevant projects with a capacity of at least 100 MW. The annual turnover of an individual or shareholders applying for a license must exceed 2 billion euros.

In anticipation of the first tender for the concession, which is scheduled to take place in 2027, the first business schemes between Greek and foreign investors have been formed. Agreements were signed between German RWE and HELLENiQ ENERGY, TERNA Energy with Ocean Winds (a joint venture between Portuguese EDPR and French Engie), Mytilineos with Danish Copenhagen Offshore Partners, Motor Oil with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar). ) and Intrakat with Parkwind. PPC Renewables is also looking for a partner who is negotiating with three foreign companies and information to bring it closer to France’s Total Eren. Norwegian Equinor’s interest is reportedly still strong, but to date it has not reached an agreement with any Greek company. The “race”, however, is ahead of the Kopelousou group, which will build the first pilot wind farm in the offshore zone of Alexandroupolis within the first “transition zone” in Greece, i.e. within the demarcated zone, as provided for through the Commission’s REPowerEU toolkit, in which RES projects undergo accelerated licensing procedures. Kopelouzou Group has been licensed to produce a 216 MW marine park since 2012 in the Alexandroupoli coastal area. The project has been designated as a pilot project by law and will be implemented outside the competitive process. In fact, in previous days, the Commission had been sent the advance notice of the project, which is required by Community law for its approval. There is information that the Kopelouso group is negotiating with two Greek companies to participate in the development of the project. By the end of the decade, the new offshore wind market is estimated to attract €6.3 billion in investment in the first phase.