In a significant leap toward sustainability, power generation from renewables fully met Greece's electricity demand over a few hours last week. This achievement was marked by a historic generation of 3,106 megawatt-hours at 0800 GMT. Like many European nations, Greece has begun cutting its reliance on Russian gas following the war in Ukraine. It now has increased liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports. It has also boosted coal mining, pushing back its decarbonisation plan.
"European countries like Greece are rapidly accelerating away from fossil fuels and towards cheap renewable electricity. The milestone reached by Greece proves that a renewables-dominated electricity grid is within sight,” Elisabeth Cremona, an analyst at energy think tank Ember, told Euronews Green.
“This also clearly demonstrates that the electricity system can be powered by renewables without compromising reliability. But there remains more to do to ensure that renewables overtake fossil fuels in Greece's power sector across the whole year."
During the first eight months of this year, Greece's renewable energy constituted 46% of its total power generation, compared to 42% during the same period in 2021. This is undeniably a step in the right direction.
The nation aims to attract approximately €30 billion in European funds and private investments to modernize its electricity grid and substantially increase its green energy capacity. Greece's goal is to have renewables make up at least 70% of its energy portfolio by 2030, requiring an expansion of renewable energy capacity from its current 10 gigawatts to 25 gigawatts.
Source: Koutantou, Angeliki. Reuters. "Greek renewables fully cover power demand for first time on record". https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/greek-renewables-fully-cover-power-demand-first-time-record-2022-10-10/. 10/10/22. [Date accessed: 11/10/22]
Edited by: Aditya Vinjimoor
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