PM says coal-fired plants could be closed sooner

Greece may shut down coal-fired power plants sooner than planned, Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Bloomberg TV in an interview published on Thursday.

“We said we would do it by 2028 …I think it will be possible to do it by 2025,” he said.

Asked about the soaring energy costs, he said the Greek government has taken steps to limit its impact on consumers. He also said that Greece has called for the creation of a European Union-funded mechanism to use revenue from additional sales of carbon permits to curb the impact of soaring energy costs.

“We have made a commitment to support electricity users in Greece. We are doing it by providing state funding but also encouraging electricity producers to absorb part of the cost increase,” he explained, adding that Greeks “will not see significant increases” in electricity bills in the next three to six months.