Wind energy in Greece has experienced steady growth in recent years, reaching an installed capacity of 5.3 GW by June 2024. According to statistics published by the Hellenic Wind Energy Association (HWEA), there is 5326 MW of wind power, of which 96 MW were added in the first six months of the year. The energy produced represents 24% of the country’s energy mix.

According to HWEA, in an interview with Energía Estratégica España, it is expected that in the next two years, the installed wind power capacity will reach 6.5 GW, due to the large number of projects in advanced stages of environmental processing.

“By the end of June 2024, around 970 MW of new wind farms were under construction or contracted, and the vast majority are expected to connect to the grid in the next 18 months. As a result, total wind power capacity will approach 6500 MW in the next two years. Of course, if barriers related to bureaucracy and other issues are overcome, this capacity could be even higher,” the association notes.

In this context, HWEA points out that the growth of the wind sector is aligned with the targets set for 2030 and there are good expectations for meeting them.

The NECP (National Energy and Climate Plan) is Greece’s renewable energy plan for 2030, which sets a target of 8.9 GW of onshore wind capacity and 1.9 GW of offshore wind.

“The target for onshore wind energy is reasonably achievable, considering that there are many projects in the mature stage of the licensing process. While the offshore wind target is ambitious, we need to accelerate and increase our efforts towards its implementation,” emphasizes the association.

Installed capacity analysis

According to the report published by HWEA in June, Greece has 5.3 GW of wind power capacity and 3,008 installed turbines.

Of the total capacity, 2.3 GW is concentrated in the central Sterea region, representing nearly half of the total. The majority of wind turbines are located in this area.

The central region is followed by Peloponnese with 671 MW and Eastern Macedonia & Thrace with 535 MW of installed capacity.

The regions of Western Greece and Western Macedonia have 671 MW, 535 MW, 417 MW, and 414 MW, respectively.

Following these are the regions of Crete (203 MW), Central Macedonia (158 MW), Attica (Trizina & Islands) with 148 MW, Ionian Islands (122 MW), Southern Aegean Sea (112 MW), Epirus (110 MW), Thessaly (46 MW), Northern Aegean Sea (41 MW), and finally, Attica with 35 MW.

One aspect highlighted in the HWEA report is the energy producers. TERNA Energy has 1,034.3 MW of installed capacity, followed by MORE with 766.1 MW and Iberdrola with 409.2 MW.

On a smaller scale, companies like Principia (367.5 MW), PPC Renewables (275.9 MW), TOTAL Energies (250 MW), EDF (238.2 MW), and METLEN Energy & Metals (236.4 MW) follow.

Another notable data from the report is that Vestas holds 45% of the market share for wind turbine manufacturers, with 2,396.3 MW installed, followed by Enercon with 25.9% and 1,379.6 MW of capacity, and SGRE with 876 MW, representing 16.4%.

In 2023, 542.8 MW of new wind energy was installed, and the market leader was Vestas, with 200 MW installed, followed by Enercon with 182.3 MW.

In the first six months of 2024, Enercon installed 44.1 MW, Vestas installed 39.6 MW, and SGRE installed 13.2 MW.

Barriers and Challenges

While there are optimistic expectations for the growth of the wind sector in the coming years, the Greek association points out that the market faces significant challenges that must be overcome.

One of the main barriers is the growing imbalance between supply and demand, particularly during midday hours due to the rapid increase of solar photovoltaic energy, similar to what happens in Spain.

“This can lead to increases in curtailments and zero-price periods. Of course, wind energy is much more protected than solar, due to its better production profile throughout the day. Greece has a relatively isolated electricity system at the edge of Europe. Therefore, interconnections with other countries are not as strong as in central and northern Europe,” they explain in dialogue with the portal.

They add: “Although legislation has improved, wind energy still suffers from long licensing procedures that can exceed a decade. This is mainly due to the reluctance of local and regional authorities to fully respect and enforce the relevant legislation. The same applies to central authorities not directly controlled by the Ministry of Energy.”

Measures to Boost Sector Growth

In this context of barriers and challenges, the wind sector emphasizes the need to generate more wind energy and less solar photovoltaic energy in the energy mix to “reduce curtailment needs and optimize storage investments.”

They also highlight the promotion of electrification across all economic sectors and the application of European legislation and guidelines for the licensing process as key factors for sector growth.

From a technical standpoint, they stress the need for increased system flexibility, prioritizing storage, active demand response, and international interconnections.

“Increasing interconnections is crucial for further wind energy growth, as this will enhance system flexibility, wholesale price convergence, and, most importantly, export opportunities,” they conclude from the association.