Council of State: Τhe Amari hybrid project in Crete moves forward

The hybrid project in Amari, Crete, will kick off after the approval of the Council of State.

As arises from the operative part of the Supreme Administrative Court – as the relevant decision is still pending – the Council of State has rejected almost all the grievances that had been raised against the implementation of the project, while the relevant solutions have already initiated just for the two issues it acknowledged.

More specifically, and as reported, the Council of State did not acknowledge any issues concerning the pumping part of the project, while, as far as the wind farm part is concerned, it only acknowledged the need to prepare a Special Ecological Assessment, as well as the removal of 4 wind turbines. Both issues have already been addressed, as the relevant study has been completed, while earlier, this year, the competent authorities approved a modification of the wind farm design, reducing the number of wind turbines, without affecting the total capacity of the wind farm (72 MW).

The project

Terna Energy’s hybrid clean energy generation and storage project in Amari, Crete, with a total installed capacity of 153 MW, is the largest hybrid project in Europe and the first of its size and characteristics in Greece. In practice, the project provides for the generation and storage of clean energy, using pumped storage, which is the only way of reliable, strategic electricity storage that allows the integration of a higher percentage of RES energy, covering potential system stability problems due to the unpredictable nature of RES generation. This is why value-added storage solutions, such as hybrid and pumped storage, are a priority for Europe as a whole, securing community financing and support, and have been included by the government in the Strategic Investments.

The contribution of the project

However, beyond the national and European importance of the project, its contribution to the local community is also of the utmost importance, as it creates 1,000 new jobs, when the project starts, and at least 100, during its operation, while it provides local municipalities and communities with 110 million euros in additional revenue over a 25-year horizon. Moreover, it ensures residents a reduced electricity tariff and protects locally from extreme weather events, such as flooding.