Electrical interconnections developed by the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) play an important role in the “greening” of Greece’s energy mix, the president and CEO of IPTO, Manos Manousakis, said at the 28th Annual Conference “Economist Government Roundtable.”
RES participation in electricity production remains close to 60% – IPTO’s contribution to the “success story”
IPTO has contributed to a “success story” for the country, given that the participation of RES in electricity production is consistently close to 60%. He explained that the Operator has helped in this direction having electrified 7 island interconnections with the mainland system during the last six years, while it is now completing the eighth, between Crete and Attica. “These projects turn Greece into a single electrical area,” he emphasized.
“Greece to be a crossroads of energy infrastructure”
Manousakis also referred to the importance of storage and international interconnections to complete the “green” transition at domestic and European level. He noted, however, that natural gas is still necessary for the adequacy and stability of electrical systems. “IPTO contributes to Greece becoming energy independent and at the same time becoming a crossroads of energy infrastructures. We need rapid steps towards storage to have a stable system with East-West and North-South interconnections as well as backbone interconnections across the European continent,” he pointed out.
“GSI is of enormous national importance”
Regarding the international interconnections that IPTO is maturing or implementing, he made special reference to the Green Aegean Interconnector, which provides for the connection of Greece with Central Europe, as well as to the electrical interconnection Great Sea Interconnector (Greece-Cyprus-Israel), a project which he described as “of enormous national importance” for both Greece and Cyprus. He emphasized that the GSI is a project with special weight for Greece and its allies that guarantees stability, more broadly in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Referring to the Greece-Egypt electrical interconnection, he commented that IPTO is considering its entry into the share capital of the project promoter company that is developing the project. He also spoke about the electrical interconnection between Greece and Saudi Arabia, for which IPTO and the Saudi Arabian Administrator have already set up a joint company, which will begin the preparation of the project studies in the near future.
