Several Greek solar power generators have filed two separate complaint letters against Greece’s government with the European Commission. Thessaloniki-based Pospief, an association of Greek solar producers, coordinated the campaign.
The first complaint concerns policies governing repowering of older renewable projects, including PV arrays and wind farms completing their life cycle or needing major hardware upgrades. Some PV installations were destroyed in recent natural disasters, and investors also aim to replace panels and inverters to increase solar yield.
“RES and High-Efficiency CHP stations that undergo radical renewal from Oct. 31, 2024, [need to] participate exclusively in the market and cannot receive operating support for the entire duration of operation of the new stations,” said Pospief General Secretary Petros Tsikouras.
The policy effectively removes access to existing support schemes, requires full new permitting, new grid connection offers, and submission of new bank guarantee letters. A total of 214 Greek solar producers signed the complaint, supported by Pospief.
Tsikouras said the policy violates EU requirements for fast, simplified, and proportionate repowering procedures, contradicts efficient use of existing infrastructure, and introduces discriminatory treatment for investors upgrading or restoring stations.
The second complaint targets Greece’s energy storage policies, particularly a 4.7 GW program for new utility-scale, front-of-the-meter, standalone battery projects. The program, published in March in the State Gazette, covers 3.8 GW connecting to the transmission network and 900 MW to the distribution network. Projects above 10 MW must apply to the transmission network operator; smaller projects apply to the distribution operator.
Investors must provide performance bonds of €200,000 ($234,700)/MW for transmission-connected projects and €50,000/MW for distribution-connected projects. Pospief and 229 signatories argue that these requirements are counterproductive, citing other EU member states where bonds rarely exceed €10,000/MW. They warn that high bond amounts could exclude small investors, leaving large firms to dominate the energy storage market.
Tsikouras emphasized the urgency of energy storage development.
“Greece curtailed about 1.85 TWh of renewable power in 2025. Of this, the biggest amount corresponds to solar energy since curtailments occur predominantly from 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., which is the time solar farms generate power,” he said. “Curtailment of renewable energy this year increased tenfold compared to last year, while in 2026 Greece might need to curtail 20 times more green power than it did in 2024. This won’t be a sustainable business case anymore. Increased curtailment means significantly reduced income; therefore, investors won’t be able to fulfill their bank loans anymore.”
To date, Greece has not connected any large-scale battery projects to the grid. A separate 900 MW tender program for standalone storage projects has yielded about 300 MW of installed capacity, but these facilities remain unconnected. Tsikouras said the main concern is continued slow development. Pospief is asking the Greek government to reduce bond requirements so more investors can participate and expand energy storage capacity.
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