The European Commission has approved a support plan aimed at advancing hybrid renewable energy projects on Greek non-interconnected islands, with the program set to launch in the first half of 2025. The initial phase will focus on the islands of Rhodes, Chios, Samos, Lesvos, Kos and Kalymnos, which host Greeceās five largest independent electricity networks and are key targets for sustainable energy development.
Project contracts for the hybrid renewable energy systems (RES) will be awarded through tenders, expected to take place in the early months of 2025. The initiative will provide operational support for these projects, with additional capital investment facilitated by a new decarbonization fund specifically dedicated to these islands.
The decarbonization fund will allocate an initial 210 million euros to support hybrid RES projects on non-interconnected islands, covering up to 42% of the total project costs. For the first set of islands, the fund will contribute up to 110 million euros towards capital expenditures.
Based on current renewable energy capacity estimates, hybrid projects could add approximately 30 MW on Rhodes, with additional capacities of 11 MW on Kos-Kalymnos, 11 MW on Chios, 10 MW on Lesvos and 5 MW on Samos.
