Map of offshore wind farms
Several areas in Greek seas will host turbines in order to maximize the country’s RES output
The areas where the first offshore wind farms will be installed in Greece have been set by the state in the context of the National Offshore Wind Farm Development Program.
These areas are Crete (specifically the sea area from Sitia to Xirokampos on the northern coast of the eastern end of the island, and east of Ierapetra), the northern Aegean between Limnos and Agios Efstratios, the Dodecanese on the Ikaria-Patmos-Leros axis and the Cyclades. This is besides the area of Alexandroupoli, already demarcated as a “Resource First-Choice Area” which will host pilot projects of a total capacity of 600 megawatts through a special development regime established by legislation two months ago.
The program includes these sea zones and probably also the area east of Evia, offering investors Areas of Organized Development of Offshore Wind Farms with even fewer restrictions. The Hellenic Hydrocarbons Management Authority is in the final stage of finalizing the program with the marine zones where the first 2,000-2,500 MW of offshore wind farms will be developed, the draft of which is expected to be submitted to the Ministry of the Environment and Energy by the end of May.
The draft will include the above areas as candidates for the development of offshore wind farms and after it is approved with a decree by the nine ministries involved, the precise demarcation of the Organized Development Areas as well as the marine blocks within each organized area that will be awarded to investors through tenders. Due to the national elections the process is expected to be delayed from two weeks to two months in case there is a second round of polls to form a government.
The selection of the areas was based on the evaluation of a series of criteria (environmental, spatial, economic, social and geopolitical) and after continuous consultations with the ministries and licensing authorities involved (Defense, Maritime, Culture and Foreign Affairs ministries, Aviation Services, Directorate of Fisheries, Directorate of Environment etc) to avoid prior restrictions that may lead to delays.
