GREECE Trends and Developments Contributed by: Evangelos (Evans) Courakis, Eleni Svoronou, Dimitra Rossopoulou, Maria Konstantina (Mariadina) Lili Kokkori and Evangelos Konitsas, Koutalidis Law Firm
inate, infrastructure constraints persist, with cur- tailments reaching 172 GWh in April alone and totalling 278 GWh for the first four months of the year. These figures highlight the pressing need to strengthen grid absorption capacity to fully harness available clean energy. Despite these limitations, renewables covered 43.6% of total electricity demand between January and April, followed closely by fossil gas at 41.7%. This reflects a narrowing gap between clean and fossil-based generation. Notably, the increased use of gas was driven largely by the need to support electricity exports. Despite progress on multiple fronts, grid con- gestion remains a persistent challenge, prompt- ing targeted policy interventions. To address this issue, Law 5095/2024 introduced a revised prioritisation framework for grid access, giving precedence to RES projects that secure bilateral power purchase agreements (PPAs) with indus- trial or agricultural consumers. At the same time, tolling agreements are gaining momentum as an effective mechanism for unlocking idle grid capacity and facilitating merchant projects out- side the scope of traditional subsidy schemes. These developments reflect the growing com- plexity of Greece’s power sector, where high- RES penetration must now be matched by flex- ible infrastructure, strategic storage deployment, and tailored market mechanisms to ensure sta- bility and investment continuity. Power transmission The Independent Power Transmission Opera- tor (IPTO) is actively upgrading and digitalising Greece’s electricity grid, laying the groundwork for a more resilient and interconnected system. Central to this effort is the 2025–2034 Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP), recently approved by the national regulator RAWEW and
published in the Government Gazette. The plan prioritises the full interconnection of Greece’s islands with the mainland, a critical step toward reducing reliance on polluting local power sta- tions, improving energy equity, and enabling deeper integration of renewables. A landmark project within this framework is the Crete–Attica high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link, which began trial operations at the end of 2024. With a budget exceeding EUR1.1 billion, the interconnection – developed by IPTO sub- sidiary Ariadne Interconnection – ranks among the three deepest worldwide and enables up to 1,000 MW of power transfer. Once fully opera- tional, it will eliminate Crete’s dependence on oil-fired plants and cut CO₂ emissions by an esti- mated 500,000 tons annually. Meanwhile, efforts continue across the Cyclad- es, Dodecanese, and Northern Aegean islands, with new substations and undersea lines under development to connect regions such as Rho- des, Lesvos, Chios, and Samos. These initiatives are supported by co-financing from EU struc- tural funds and national climate programs. Beyond infrastructure expansion, grid resilience and digitalisation are growing priorities. As vari- able RES increasingly dominate power genera- tion, IPTO is investing in smart grid technolo- gies such as AI-driven diagnostics, predictive load balancing, and advanced system controls. These tools are essential for integrating new assets like standalone battery energy storage systems (BESS) and for ensuring real-time grid stability in an evolving energy landscape. Power distribution Greece continues to modernise its electricity distribution network, placing strong emphasis on digitalisation and consumer engagement. In
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