After facing local opposition and delays, the relevant authorities have finalized the development plan for offshore wind farms, incorporating the necessary revisions. Despite this, potential investors, including electricity transmission system operator ADMIE and banks interested in joining the special purpose vehicle, remain hesitant due to the lack of formal approval from the responsible Ministries.
The project is currently stalled at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is taking a cautious approach to avoid diplomatic tensions with Turkey, similar to the issues encountered during the Crete-Cyprus electricity interconnection dispute. The proposed offshore wind farm sites are located within Greek territorial waters.
The National Energy and Climate Plan sets a target of 1.9 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030. However, after strong local opposition regarding visual disturbances in areas such as Elounda on Crete and the Diapontia islands near Corfu, the number of marine zones designated for offshore wind farms was reduced in June 2024, from several to just five.
The remaining sites for offshore wind farm development will be: Atherinolakkos, a remote area southeast of Crete that already hosts a PPC power station; Agious Apostolous in southeastern Evia; the Gulf of Patras; Rhodes; and Gyaros, an uninhabited island in the northern Cyclades.
