Greece's power grid operator wants lignite plant to operate longer, report says

Holding Admie Ipto SA

21/04/2026 14:24

ATHENS, April 21 (Reuters) - Greece's power grid operator IPTO wants a lignite-fired plant earmarked for closure later this year to stay open for at least another year, saying it is needed to ensure supplies given the upheaval caused by the Iran war, a Greek newspaper reported on Tuesday.

As part of European Union efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, Greece has pledged to stop burning lignite, the most carbon-intensive form of coal, by 2028. It has also invested in renewables that account for roughly half of the country's power mix.

Power utility Public Power Corp. DEHr.AT has planned to shut the 350-megawatt Ptolemaida 5 - one of Greece's only two remaining lignite-fired power plants - this year and start converting it to a gas-fired plant by 2027.

But the grid operator IPTO ADMr.AT, which has responsibility for ensuring stable supplies, has requested that the plant remain open until the end of 2027 to allow time for new gas-fired plants to join the grid and help prevent any shortages that the Middle Eastern conflict might create, Kathimerini newspaper said. It cited a letter sent by IPTO to PPC and the Greek energy ministry.

IPTO declined to comment on the report. PPC told Reuters it will stick to its original plan, which foresees taking Ptolemaida 5 off the system this year.

Despite the increase in renewable output, electricity in the Mediterranean country still relies on imported gas supplies which have been disrupted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears over flows in the coming winter when demand for heating rises.

A rise in the cost of permits to generate carbon emissions as governments have restricted supply on the European Union's Emissions Trading System has added to the cost of generating electricity from coal.

(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; editing by Barbara Lewis)

((Email: angeliki.koutantou@tr.com, +30 210 2214608))