Greek gas company DEPA Commercial plans to announce, by the end of the year, a tender for the design, procurement and development of its first renewable energy projects, energypress sources have informed.
The tender will concern two projects totaling 495 MW, most of this capacity, 400 MW, for solar energy farms in Kozani, northern Greece, plus 95 MW for solar energy farms in Viotia, slightly northwest of the wider Athens area.
DEPA Commercial, which has shaped a new company strategy striving for vertical integration by also becoming an electricity producer, last year acquired New Spesconcept, holding a 222-MW RES portfolio, and North Solar, possessing a RES portfolio of 500 MW.
Besides its entry into the RES sector, with prospective solar energy projects totaling approximately 730 MW, DEPA Commercial also intends to partner with power utility PPC and the Copelouzos group in a new 840-MW combined-cycle power plant being planned for development in Komotini, northeastern Greece.
Also, DEPA Commercial, as part of its new strategy, has undertaken initiatives to expand its wholesale trading activity in foreign markets. This effort has significantly intensified over the past two years.
At present, DEPA Commercial is active in the Austrian, Hungarian, Romanian and Italian markets and has signed agreements to supply gas to Moldova and Albania.
DEPA Commercial is the first Greek gas company to have become a member of the Hungarian Energy Exchange (CEEGEX).
The Hungarian market represents a pivotal gas trading hub in central Europe and is also located at the northern end of the prospective Vertical Corridor, a route running from Greece to Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary that will be created by interconnecting the transmission systems of these four countries to enable two-way transport of fuel between south and north.
