Greece to tender new PV power capacity

According to sources, an official from Greece’s Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change has announced that Greece’s new renewable energy policy framework will be brought up for public consultation soon.

The new policy framework, which aims to support the renewable energy sector, is expected to be brought into law by early July.

As part of this new regulatory framework, the country is preparing to hold two pilot auctions for 50 MW of photovoltaic power this month. Additionally, new feed-in tariff (FiT) remuneration schemes will be established. The new plan will not include renewable energy projects in Greece's islands which aren't hooked with the mainland's power grid.

Greece has to align its renewable energy support scheme with the EU’s Environmental and Energy State Aid Guidelines (EEGA). The guidelines will support member states in reaching their 2020 climate targets, while addressing the market distortions that may result from subsidies granted to renewable energy sources. To this end, the guidelines promote a gradual move to market-based support for renewable energy.

Key features of the guidelines include:

• Gradual introduction of market based mechanisms
• Promoting competitiveness of European industry
• Supporting cross-border energy infrastructure to further the Single European Energy Market

Another new feature is to permit aid to secure adequate electricity generation when there is a real risk of insufficient electricity generation capacity.