The need to create a second “trunk” transmission system in the medium term, in order for the country – in combination with storage – to be able to absorb the green energy that will be produced in Greece or traded through international interconnections, highlighted the President and CEO Adviser of ADMIE Manos Manousakis during his presentation at the “Infrastructure and Networks” conference.
“We need to develop the system to an extent that we did not foresee before,” he said characteristically adding that the Administrator is already working – together with the State – on smart ways to develop the transport system so that it can meet future demands.
Development of international connections
With reference to international interconnections, Mr. Manousakis emphasized that these are projects that will help Greece to export to large consumption centers outside its borders the excess of green energy produced by its abundant solar and wind potential.
“Greening the mix, in order to have stable electrical systems, requires all countries to be much more interconnected,” Mr. Manousakis pointed out, commenting that “we look at all points of the horizon and try to invest seriously where we judge that the country it needs to arrive.”
The head of ADMIE referred to the progress of the electrical interconnection Greece – Cyprus – Israel Great Sea Interconnector, an important project implemented by ADMIE. As he said, the interconnection between Crete and Cyprus is now under construction, while the part of the project between Cyprus and Israel is also maturing.
For the second part of the connection, Mr. Manousakis noted that in the coming days he will hold a meeting with the Director General of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and the President of the Regulatory Authority of Israel in Cyprus.
He also referred to the Greece-Egypt GREGY electrical interconnection, expressing the belief that within the current quarter ADMIE’s equity participation in the project, which has been characterized as of Mutual Interest for the EU, will be completed.
Regarding the Saudi Greek Interconnection, he said that there is a very strong interest on the part of Saudi Arabia to proceed, pointing out that in April the tender for the study of the project will be announced.
Modernization of the electrical system
Asked regarding the challenges of the energy transition, Mr. Manousakis emphasized that we have a “success story” in RES given that clean energy in the country already reaches 60%, citing figures from the International Energy Organization, according to which Greece has the third best performer at EU level in ‘greening’ its energy mix.
However, he noted how in order to reach the 80% national target for 2030, there will be technical difficulties as, as he explained, renewables are much more difficult to manage than the conventional fossil fuel plants that we have relied on exclusively in the past.
In this context, he underlined that the Administrators should be modernized to respond more effectively to the new situation.
Regarding the age of the system – which was developed in the 1960s – and the challenges of the climate crisis, Mr. Manousakis mentioned that ADMIE is implementing a rolling program of renewal of critical equipment, through a series of investments that make it much safer and more reliable the country’s electrical infrastructure.
“We have to think completely differently regarding how we are going to protect the electrical system,” stressed Mr. Manousakis, who then referred to the new law that now allows Operators to open fire zones under transmission lines that pass through forests or woodlands in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection and the Fire Service, a measure that will start in Attica and will gradually be extended to other regions of the country.
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