The strong interest of major international investors to operate in Greece’s Renewable Energy Sources (RES) market was confirmed once again.
More specifically, the US giant Amazon plans to invest more than 1 billion dollars in the construction of three wind farms in Greece, in order to utilize the green energy produced to meet its energy needs in the region.
Amazon will further strengthen its portfolio of energy investments at an international level.
Four energy supply agreements have already been signed in Greece, which concern three renewable energy projects.
In particular, two of these agreements concern the wind farm in Vermio (North and South Vermio Wind Farm) in Western and Central Macedonia and the other two the wind farms in the Mesokorfi and Koukouras areas in the Peloponnese.
The construction of the infrastructure has already begun and the new wind farms are expected to be fully operational in 2026.
It is estimated that clean energy equivalent to the electricity supply of 200,000 Greek households will be produced annually.
The energy produced by the new projects will go directly to the central grid, covering both Amazon’s operational needs and the needs of local businesses, public bodies and households.
The operation of the wind farms is expected to create significant economic benefits for Greece in the long term. More than 100 new jobs have already been created for the wind farm in Vermio, while during the full operation of the stations, the new jobs are expected to reach 300, according to data from Aer Soléir, which is the project’s implementing body, based in Dublin. The firm has a significant presence in Europe in the RES infrastructure development sector. As mentioned above, Amazon’s total investment is expected to exceed 1 billion dollars and will be co-financed by the National Bank of Greece, as well as by funds from the Recovery and Resilience Fund.
Climate Pledge
The new projects are aligned with Amazon’s Climate Pledge initiative, which is the company’s commitment to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2040.
They also contribute to achieving the goals of Greece’s National Energy and Climate Plan, which foresees the production of over 80% of the country’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
With 48% of energy production in Greece based on fossil fuels, the new wind farms are expected to significantly help reduce carbon emissions in our country and support Greece’s transition to clean energy production.
These Amazon renewable energy projects are part of a broader initiative, which includes more than 500 solar and wind energy projects worldwide.
In this context, Amazon recently achieved its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2023, seven years earlier than the original forecast for 2030.
“The three new wind farms in Greece are a significant milestone in our investment in clean, carbon-free energy across Europe and add to the growing number of renewable energy projects we are supporting in the country,” said Lindsay McQuaid, Director of Energy for Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
“With more than 180 wind and solar projects in more than 12 European countries, we are committed to advancing the transition to clean energy to support both our operational needs and local communities,” she added.
