With ambitious renewable energy goals being set all across Europe, it seems that there are precious few European nations that have not made some effort to stand up and attempt to make a difference. Greece, a nation that has traditionally used several renewable energy resources as a means of generating electricity is among those that is working towards building a strong enough energy infrastructure within their country to meet certain standards. Now, the nation hopes to find a willing partner to develop some very significant solar power.
Public Power Corp SA, the largest provider of electricity in all of Greece, announced the other day that they intend to establish within the country one of the largest solar energy project in the world. The plan is to build a 200 megawatt photovoltaic power plant in the northern Greek city of Kozani. At the park, the Public Power Corp intends to have a solar panel factory built into the area in order to supply the panels necessary for the construction of the facility. In order to complete this project, which currently has an associated price tag of approximately $810 million, the corporation is hoping to find an international partner to invest into the project.
Though the company is seeking partners to develop the solar power park, they are no strangers to renewable energy within the country. Currently, Public Power Corp SA operates several hydroelectric, wind, thermal, and solar power sources throughout the country and aims to acquire and build more every year. The company has also stated that they are willing to pay a significant amount of money to purchase electricity from any newly established renewable energy sources in the country not currently run by the Public Power Corp SA in order to egg on the development of renewable energy throughout Greece.
So far, the Public Power Corp SA is hoping to have found their international partner for the project by this summer so that they can immediately being construction on the solar park. While an official date for the beginning of construction has not been released, the company expects to begin towards the end of 2011 and to take approximately eighteen months to complete the work.
Once completed, the solar park stands to not only generate a significant amount of renewable energy but also to reduce carbon emissions throughout the area significantly according to company figures. With any luck, Public Power Corp SA will find the partner they need sooner rather than later so that they can get their project up in running in due time.
Article by Richard Cooke, appearing courtesy Justmeans.
