After reaching their allowed number of operational hours (32,000) the units III and IV of coal-fired thermal power plant Kardia, operated by state-controlled Public Power Corporation (PPC), will be withdrawn from further operation on 17 April. PPC agreed to shut down these two units in December 2019, as a part of its decarbonization effort. The two units have a combined installed capacity of 540 MW, and besides electricity, provided district heating services for nearby communities, which is why local authorities urged the Energy Ministry to keep the two units in operation until the end of April. PPC’s unit V at TPP Ptolemaida, which should be put into operation in 2022, will take over heating supply from the two withdrawn units of TPP Kardia.
In 2021, PPC is also planning to shut down unit III of TPP Megalopoli, some six months ahead of previously agreed timetable. Electricity transmission system operator ADMIE already warned PPC that such move could lead to instability of the energy system.
