Greece’s new Ptolemaida 5 lignite-fired thermal power plant is due to be put into commercial operation next month. This means that from March, a thermal capacity of 660 MW will be included in the national energy system, further increasing the security of supply for Greek households and companies.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also visited the new lignite block on February 14.
The construction of TPP Ptolemaida 5 started in 2013, and cost PPC about 1.4 billion euros, not counting 400 million euros for supporting projects. It is the largest lignite unit owned by PPC.
This state-of-the-art and most efficient unit in Greece has significantly lower CO2 emissions than existing power plants, thanks to the application of modern technologies to reduce the emission of microparticles, as well as nitrogen and sulfur oxides.
TPP Ptolemaida 5 is a much more advanced unit compared to older lignite-fired power plants in Greece, as it uses one and a half tons of low-calorific value lignite to produce one MWh of electricity, compared to 2.2 tons of lignite used by existing units.
At fuel costs of €30 per MWh, compared to €45 for existing power plants, the new TPP will produce one ton of carbon dioxide, compared to 1.4 tons for old power plants.
The old units have a CO2 cost of 120 euros, while with the new TPP it will amount to 90 euros. The new unit can also compete with existing natural gas plants and therefore can operate even when natural gas prices are lower than today.
This gives Greece time for a just transition and also ensures energy sufficiency, as the plant will remain as a strategic reserve in the system after 2028.
In this way, Greece is on track to reach its goal of doubling lignite-based electricity production by next summer, reaching 10 TWh annually. This goal is accompanied by an increase in the exploitation of lignite.
The Ptolemaida 5 TPP is scheduled to be the last lignite-fired unit to be shut down, marking the end of the coal phase-out.
The original plan of the PPC provided for the power plant to operate until 2028, to be converted to gas by 2030, with an increase in power to 1,000 MW.
