Greek electric utility Public Power Corp (PPC) Group has completed the construction of a series of solar projects with a cumulative capacity of 2,130 MW.
The solar sites are located on former lignite mine around the area of Amyntaio and Ptolemaida in northern Greece. According to a statement from PPC, they are capable of generating a combined 3.15 TWh annually, equivalent to nearly 6% of the country’s annual electricity consumption.
Image: PPC Group
The largest projects in the cluster include the 940 MW Amyntaio solar complex, developed in collaboration with RWE, and the 550 MW Phoebe photovoltaic plant located near Pontokomi, which currently stands as the EU's second-largest single site project.
The cluster also includes the 200 MW Helios Velos 1 solar plant, 80 MW Exochi 7 project and 80 MW Akrini plant, alongside ten additional smaller sites all situated on former lignite areas.
PPC says it is now working to develop and integrate more large-scale storage systems in the same regions as the solar sites. The company has already completed the construction of two battery energy storage systems (BESS) with a combined installed capacity of 98 MW/196 MWh.
Image: PPC Group
Work is now underway on an additional 50 MW/200 MWh BESS near the Amyntaio project, due for completion in the coming months, that will be capable of supplying electricity to the grid for four hours.
PPC also said that two pumped-hydro storage projects, with planned capacities of 320 MW for eight hours and 240 MW for 12 hours, are maturing having secured the necessary regulatory approvals. Both projects will also be constructed at disused mines.
“Western Macedonia in northern Greece is becoming the country’s new green energy hub, hosting the largest photovoltaic cluster in Europe, developed on former lignite mine sites, alongside storage units that ensure optimal use of generated energy and contribute to system stability,” commented PPC Group Deputy CEO for RES, Konstantinos Mavros.
Figures from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) indicate that Greece added over 2.2 GW of solar last year, with the country's cumulative capacity increasing from 8.82 GW at the end of 2024 to 11.5 GW by the end of 2025.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.