According to its revised mining plan, Greek Public Power Corporation (PPC) has the capacity to increase its lignite production by 43 % to 15 million tons per year, enough to operate its lignite -fired portfolio at full capacity in case of a disruption of Russian gas supply to Europe.
PPC said that it can raise lignite-fired electricity generation from current 4.5 TWh to 6.5 TWh per year. However, it is needed to increase the productivity of the mines and fill the stocks of its seven coal-fired units: five Agios Dimitrios units and one at Meliti and Megalopoli each.
The plan is to increase lignite stocks at each of the five Agios Dimitrios units to 1.75 million tons from 1.2 million, while also increasing the amount at Meliti to 300,000 tons from 220,000 tons this month, as well as the lignite stock at Megalopoli to 500,000 tons from 270,000 tons.
On Monday 4 April, despite the fact that all PPC’s lignite-fired units are profitable with current prices on the electricity market, coal was accounted for only 4 % of the country’s electricity, since only one unit at Agios Dimitrios was in operation. On the other hand, natural gas-fired power plants provided some 59 % of Greek electricity on Monday.
