Greece, TPP Ptolemaida V to enter commercial operation in the next few weeks

Public Power Corporation (PPC) said that its newly built coal-fired thermal power plant Ptolemaida V is in the final stage of trial run and is expected to enter commercial operation in the coming weeks.

Ptolemaida V will initially operate as a low- emitting lignite-fired power plant before eventually converting to natural gas, promises to greatly contribute to the network’s energy sufficiency.

According to a latest estimate provided by electricity transmission system operator ADMIE, in an energy sufficiency study, the facility may operate as a lignite-fired power station until the end of 2028 before being withdrawn for a two-year period and relaunched, at the beginning of 2031, as a 1,000 MW gas-fired power plant.

However, the plant’s switch to natural gas at a sooner date cannot be ruled out if gas prices de- escalate in the long-term and remain stable at lower price levels.