A special state aid program proposal regarding a 680 MW pump-storage hydropower complex planned by GEK TERNA in Amfilochia in western Greece was submitted for approval to the European Commission (EC) by the Greek Ministry of Energy.
The project has been on the EU’s list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) since 2012, and its feasibility studies have received Juncker Plan financing. The total budget of the project, which should generate 816 GWh of electricity annually, is expected to exceed 500 million euros.
Pumped-storage HPPs are important for the electricity system because they allow electricity from fluctuating sources, such as solar, wind and other renewables, or excess electricity from continuous base-load sources, including coal, to be saved for periods of higher demand.
The Amfilochia hydropower complex consists of two production units and three reservoirs. Total effective reservoir storage capacity is 7 million cubic meters, equivalent to 3.97 GWh. The Agios Georgios unit has 5 million cubic meters and it will work with four reversible Francis-type turbines of an overall 460 MW or 496 MW in pumping mode, compared to 2 million cubic meters and two turbines at Pyrgos with the capacity of 220 MW or 234 MW in pumping mode. Total pumping mode capacity amounts to 730 MW.
