ATHENS – [ANA-MPA]
The two electrical interconnections to Crete and renewable energy sources have supplied all the island’s power since Wednesday, December 17 without any assistance from local power plants burning fossil fuels, according to an announcement by Independent Power Transmission System Operator (IPTO) on December 19.
“The two interconnections combined with clean energy produced on the island have covered total demand in the last two days. It is notable that in combination with running IPTO automatic control systems, the fluctuation in charge on Crete is covered by transferring energy via the new Crete-Attica interconnector cable, while the flow of energy on the interconnector cable with the Peloponnese is kept stable so that it is available for the immediate provision of backup power, if this is considered necessary.
“The shutdown of the smokestacks of local power stations that used fossil fuels allows for net savings of 400–600 million euros per year over a 10-year period for all consumers, due to the reduction of Public Service Obligation (PSO) charges, taking into account the costs of keeping the units in cold reserve and the System Use Charges arising from the operation of the interconnections.
The economic benefits of the interconnection with the Peloponnese, which has largely replaced local power plant production since 2021, amount to 700 million euros so far. As the IPTO announcement pointed out, this has also generated significant environmental benefits, reducing carbon emissions by 500,000 tonnes per year.
