Wind farm

Public Power Corporation (PPC) announced on Tuesday it has completed the acquisition of an 84-megawatt wind farm in Romania through its subsidiary PPC Renewables.

The offshore block 'Crete 2b,' which has been included in the national offshore wind farm development planning, is being moved westward and further offshore and limited to 400 megawatts of the originally planned 600 MW.

Greece has moved toward "clean" energy at a fast clip and its progress to achieving it should not be hampered. However, it seems that haste has resulted in decisions where the cost will outweigh the benefits.

A typical example of this is the plan to create offshore wind farms in areas of high tourism interest. What this will lead to is one activity undermining the other. 

The National Offshore Wind Farm Development Plan is facing fresh obstacles, in addition to those initially imposed by geopolitical factors, such as the non-extension of territorial waters beyond six miles in the Eastern Aegean and the military operations of the Hellenic Armed Forces General Staff.

The picturesque city of Varna is experiencing a clash between its tourism sector and proposed plans for offshore wind farms, sparking controversy and opposition within the local community. The draft bill outlining the construction of these wind farms recently passed its first reading in the National Assembly, triggering dissent among various stakeholders.

Wind farms in Greece take up 3.5 times more land than the global average because they are mainly built on steep mountainsides, which demand far greater infrastructure, according to a  study carried out by the Biodiversity Conservation Laboratory of Ioannina University with funding from Natural Environment & Climate Change Agency (NECCA).

The National Program for the Development of Offshore Wind Farms has created high expectations.

Four municipalities on the island of Evia (Karystos, Halkida, Kymi-Aliveriou and Eretria), as well as local forestry, environmental and mountaineering associations are requesting the annulment of the decisions for the installation of a large number of wind farms for electricity generation within forest areas.

Greece on Tuesday moved toward building its first offshore wind farms, identifying areas for private development in a draft plan that the current government hopes will lessen the country's dependence on fossil fuels.

Northern Europe has turned its eyes to Greece for the operation of offshore wind farms, having deemed that the framework for the market has matured. Denmark's Copenhagen Offshore Partners (COP), a global leader in the offshore wind market, is opening its offices in Athens on Thursday, November 9.