Greece’s electricity regulator has approved DEDDIE’s new 2026–2030 distribution development programme, clearing the way for another large investment cycle while rejecting some projects and reducing the budgets of others.
The distribution operator had proposed approximately €5.9 billion of expenditure, an increase of 35.2% compared with the amount approved under its previous 2024–2028 programme. A substantial share of the proposed increase was intended to address ageing infrastructure, particularly through replacement and refurbishment of existing network assets.
RAAEY acknowledged that higher material prices, project modifications and delays had contributed to rising costs. It also criticised repeated postponements, including delays affecting priority investments, and called for more credible implementation schedules.
The pressure on network investment can already be seen in connection costs. DEDDIE spent €140.5 million connecting electricity users in 2025, compared with €101 million in 2023, even though it completed approximately 3,000 fewer connections.
The amount of new network required nevertheless increased from 1,139 kilometres to 1,311 kilometres, while contractor prices rose by 42% between 2022 and 2025. The combination of higher unit costs and greater network requirements is making expansion more capital-intensive even where the number of completed customer connections is lower.
RAAEY did not accept the investment plan in full. Shore-power projects at Igoumenitsa, Rafina and Kyllini were excluded, along with a low-voltage monitoring system, the proposed Mount Athos electrification project and an artificial-intelligence and knowledge infrastructure programme.
Several major spending envelopes were also reduced. Funding for customer connections was lowered from €800 million to €760 million, expenditure on network variants from €150 million to €115 million, and the smart-meter programme from €1.6 billion to €1.46 billion.
The regulator’s intervention leaves Greece with a large distribution investment requirement but a more constrained capital programme. Rising construction costs, ageing assets and growing connection requirements remain intact; the pressure now shifts toward execution discipline and the operator’s ability to deliver the approved projects without repeating the delays identified under earlier plans.
