Greece’s Public Power Corporation (PPC) has introduced a new schedule for the phaseout of its lignite-fired power plants 0 In 2019, after the New Democracy party won the elections, the Greek government aspired to phase out coal by 2023. In the meantime, following lengthy debates, speculations and the pressure from the energy crisis, the official target date landed at 2028. However according to state-controlled PPC’s recent reply within a parliamentary debate the country will cease burning the solid fossil fuel in 2026 According to the timeline revealed in the document units 1 and 2 of the Agios Dimitrios coal plant will be closed next month The decision is based on consultations with the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) The facilities Meliti and Megalopolis will be shut down by the end of the year 4 and 5 in Agios Dimitrios to cease operations in 2025 As for the new Ptolemaida 5 lignite plant an earlier idea was to convert it into a natural gas unit later in the decade so that it remains operational PPC now seems to consider the option unfeasible “According to current natural gas and European Union allowance (EUA) prices the unit will be shut down in 2026,” the document adds Sdoukou: The production cost in Ptolemaida 5 is EUR 120 per MWh According to Deputy Minister of the Environment and Energy Alexandra Sdoukou Ptolemaida 5 has a production cost of EUR 120 per MWh the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for new solar farms is EUR 40 per MWh to 45 per MWh The yardstick comes in at EUR 55 per MWh to EUR 65 per MWh for wind farms another EUR 20 per MWh to EUR 30 per MWh is required for battery storage It should also be mentioned that the long-term economic viability of new natural gas plants is under threat given the current and projected market conditions. Conventional plants have to align with strict emission regulations based on the European Union’s energy taxonomy. International bodies such as the European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) have said that countries willing to support such projects would have to come up with capacity mechanisms. PPC has the option to push the government for the unit to be included in a future capacity mechanism before converting Be the first one to comment on this article 02 May 2025 - The project is located in Constanța county recognized for its superior yields in green energy production 02 May 2025 - The Sunčana (Sunny) Vipava project envisages installing solar power plants with a combined capacity of 20 MW 30 April 2025 - OMV put into operation its 10 MW green hydrogen plant at the Schwechat refinery 30 April 2025 - It is the second time this year that MVM contracted gas-fueled and hydrogen-ready power plants at sites of former fossil fuel facilities © CENTER FOR PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 2008-2020 website developed by ogitive Gessa-Liveriadis shared that she always wanted to give back to the place of her birth A recent donation from Melbourne resident Anastasia Gessa-Liveriadis to her hometown of Ptolemaida has garnered attention in Greek media Gessa-Liveriadis hails from the Gessas family She was married to the late Panagiotis Liveriadis and educational consultant for the Greek Consulate in Melbourne plot on Epivaton Street in Ptolemaida to Bodossakio Hospital the hospital did not proceed with development on the property Gessa-Liveriadis has chosen to donate the land to the Municipality of Eordaia the new facility will be named in her honour The Greek Australian expressed her long-standing desire to contribute to her birthplace while reflecting on her life in a Greek television interview “I have faced many challenges—losing my parents young I graduated from high school in Ptolemaida and though our family home no longer stands I received the remaining portion from my siblings after our father’s sudden passing,” she said Gessa-Liveriadis also shared what led her to emigrate “I left Greece in search of better opportunities I pursued studies and work in Athens and other regions I arrived in Australia alone with minimal English and eventually work as an educator in higher education I would return to Greece every summer.” She completed her studies at the Athens School of Health where she graduated as a Visiting Nurse and Sister she has resided in Melbourne where she graduated from the College of Nursing and earned a Bachelor and Master of Education from La Trobe University in Melbourne Through further professional and academic development she became a pioneering figure in Australian nursing education especially in Mental Health and the integration of nursing training into the higher education system she served as a Senior Nursing Education Officer and Director of the Hospital School of Psychiatric Nursing After nursing education was transferred to higher education she continued as a Senior Lecturer and later as Head of the Department of Community and Mental Health at the Phillip School of Nursing she returned to her love of poetry and literature but I am now translating it into Greek,” she told Neos Kosmos Mining for lignite - or brown coal - in Greece is a huge industry. Together with Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, the country accounts for more than one-third of the world’s lignite production. But for residents of villages in the extraction areas of West Macedonia, it has many impacts, from displacement to health problems. Photographs and research by Anna Pantelia Thick dust suspended in the atmosphere makes it hard to see the sun over Ptolemaida a city 500 kilometres north-west of Athens in the West Macedonia region known for its brown coal (lignite) mines and power stations Kostas works as a guard for the state-owned Public Power Corporation (PPC) “My father died of cancer when I was 12,” he says “Four other men from his shift lost their lives from cancer.” Greece has invested €1.3bn in the construction of two new plants in the area The post-apocalyptic landscape of Ptolemaida is composed of a sprawling black mine which spans 625 square miles and includes a few deserted villages Ptolemaida is the biggest mine in the Balkans and reported to account for the 30% of the country’s electricity production According to Greenpeace’s Silent Killers report coal combustion causes more than 1,200 premature deaths in Greece Life expectancy in the region has been falling the most recently abandoned village ready to be demolished for coal extraction Aristokratis and his wife are two of the 10 last residents of Mavropigi Even though PPC have officially relocated Mavropigi’s residents a few are still living in the village which is now few steps away from the mine and has no running water anymore You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience (PPC) has secured funding for the construction of a 550 MW solar plant at a former lignite mine the plant will cover almost 2.5% of domestic electricity generation Greece’s state-owned utility Public Power Corp. (PPC) has announced financing for the construction of a 550 MW solar plant The project developed in the Lignite Center near Ptolemaida a town in the Kozani regional unit of Western Macedonia The project is part of the Green Transition pillar of the Recovery and Resilience Fund (RRF) and has a total budget of €368 million ($397.6 million) PPC Renewables has secured a long-term loan of €294.4 million consisting of €184 million by RRF resources and co-financing of €110.4 million from Eurobank and Piraeus Bank Construction plans consist of three different sub-areas totaling approximately 10 million m² in which approximately 950,000 PV panels of bifacial technology on single-axis trackers will be installed the generation of the PV plant is expected to reach 1 TWh which equates to the needs of approximately 200,000 households PPC says this will cover almost 2.5% of domestic electricity generation More articles from Patrick Jowett Please be mindful of our community standards and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This website uses cookies to anonymously count visitor numbers. View our privacy policy. × The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this Close First phase will involve construction of 300MW data center Greek state-owned utility Public Power Corp (PPC) has unveiled a plan to develop data centers in former lignite mines in Western Macedonia which is expected to represent an investment of €5 billion ($5.38bn) will involve the construction of a 300MW data center as part of its first phase The utility indicated that the data center could subsequently be upgraded to 1GW The data center will be powered by natural gas and solar and feature a battery energy storage system (BESS) PPC intends to convert its last operational coal-fired plant into a 350MW natural gas facility with the ability to burn hydrogen The decision follows an announcement by the utility that it intends to fully phase out coal-fired power by 2026 the utility intends to develop 1.3GW of solar power on the sites of the Amyndaio and Ptolemaida mines as well as install a 300MW BESS and two pumped storage hydropower projects with a capacity of 320MW and 240MW PPC said it is in talks with several potential partners for the data center In recent months, PPC has increasingly targeted the data center sector as an area of growth. Late last year, in a joint venture with data center developer Edgnex it announced plans to develop a 12.5MW data center in Athens The first phase will see a €150 million ($161.5m) investment to develop the initial 12.5MW of capacity with plans to scale up to 25MW in subsequent phases Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia PPC’s brand new Ptolemaida 5 lignite plant was effectively pushed out of the market in May as uncompetitive 0 The unit was supposed to enter full commercial operation last autumn it seems to have remained under a testing regime it means Ptolemaida 5 is not subject to its full operational requirements when it comes to the daily planning of Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO or Admie) and that it does not participate in the wholesale market as other plants do it is notable that Ptolemaida 5’s usage rate has been between 11.9% and 31.3% in the first four months of 2024 mostly had zero participation in the wholesale market as a result of low seasonal demand and no more need for district heating They are expected to be used again in the summer when high temperatures and increased demand facilitate their return to ensure the system’s stability lignite plants are now effectively providing reserve capacity for long periods of the year It should be noted that lignite is not the only fuel faced with reduced production in Greece Operators of natural gas–fired power plants have also suffered a drop in recent years as a result of a rise in renewables in the system Official data show that in 2021 gas plants produced 20.9 TWh All the conventional producers have asked the government to come up with a capacity mechanism, to secure their long-term commercial viability The scheme will have to be submitted to the European Commission within the next year and it will have to be in line with strict European Union regulations The goal is for Greece to have a fleet of conventional plants able to maintain energy security but without paying them exorbitant amounts for their services Already, studies by international bodies, such as the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E), have shown that European natural gas units will be uncompetitive without such support Coal plants are facing viability issues in other Balkan countries as well. Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob acknowledged last month that TEŠ – the country’s only facility of the kind – and its accompanying mine may end operations within three years instead of 2033 Similarly, coal power plants in Bulgaria almost halved their output last year as their operators struggle to compete with cheaper kinds of electricity in the market high CO2 emission costs and strict pollution standards in which there is no emissions pricing mechanism consumed more coal-fired electricity so far in 2024 than any European country Data from energy think tank Ember showed that it overtook Germany as the top coal power producer in Europe shortly after surpassing Poland as number two Serbia is about to put its Kostolac B3 coal power plant into operation after lengthy delays in the project’s final phase It may turn out to be the last one in Europe 05 May 2025 - The delegations from the two countries met on the sidelines of the 10th summit meeting of the Three Seas Initiative 05 May 2025 - The Trebinje 3 photovoltaic plant would have an installed capacity of 53.63 MW and an estimated annual production of 85.5 GWh 05 May 2025 - VDE Renewables found that SolarEdge’s advanced safety capabilities minimize photovoltaic system risks and effectively prevent fire hazards An administrative inquiry has been ordered into the death of a 15-month-old boy at the Bodossakeio General Hospital of Ptolemaida to determine why the child did not receive specialist care earlier The infant was rushed to Ptolemaida’s hospital by its parents on the morning of New Year’s Day with a fever and diagnosed with the flu as the child suffered from a chronic illness that affected its immune system doctors advised that it be treated at home and brought back to the hospital only if its symptoms worsened The infant was brought back the following evening when the fever failed to subside but was not seen by pediatricians until its condition worsened precipitously an hour later “Despite the efforts of the pediatricians who were called to attend to the case and those of an anesthesiologist… the infant’s planned transfer to the pediatric ICU of an on-call hospital in Thessaloniki was not possible due to his rapid deterioration,” the hospital’s deputy governor An autopsy conducted on Thursday showed the cause of death to be severe respiratory infection Health authorities are also expecting the results of histological tests Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox Archive Recommendations Greece has announced plans to install two PV projects at mining sites The facilities are part of the national utility’s new strategy and in line with the country’s efforts to phase out coal Greek national electric utility Public Power Corp (PPC) will fund two large solar parks on mining sites in line with the nation’s plan to phase out coal The Greek solar market has returned to growth via public tenders and moves by organizations to embrace PV to reduce costs and hit sustainability goals Plans for solar projects in the country’s mining regions have also started to dominate headlines Utility PPC’s goal is to install a massive 2 GW solar project in Ptolemaida in the Kozani region of northern Greece and a 1 GW installation on the Peloponnese peninsula in the south of the nation Construction at Ptolemaida could start as early as next year made a formal announcement last weekend when meeting local stakeholders in Ptolemaida The minister said the PPC would move “rapidly” to install a 2 GW solar plant in the region Utility chief executive George Stassis confirmed the state-owned electric company had submitted an application to energy regulator the RAE for a generating license for 1.5 GW of solar capacity in Ptolemaida in December pv magazine has learned the PPC also plans to install 1 GW of solar capacity in Megalopoli which also hosts mining sites and a coal-fired power plant The move is part of Greece’s efforts to phase out coal from its electricity mix by 2028 Hatzidakis told interested parties in Ptolemaida the government will help the region shift to a fossil-fuel-free economic model The 2 GW photovoltaic park is also part of the government’s plan to create new jobs in the region as it transitions to a coal-free future The Greek government has requested technical assistance from the European Commission the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to design a new economic model for the country’s mining regions Greece’s mining towns will also be supported by the European Union’s Just Transition Mechanism if agreed between member states during this week’s EU budget negotiations would mobilize funds to support workers and citizens in the regions most affected by the transition to a coal-free future stakeholders such as local councils have been slow to draft meaningful proposals for the energy transition in their areas The Greek branch of conservation charity the World Wide Fund for Nature has produced a documentary examining how the EU’s proposed Just Transition Mechanism could affect Greece The decision to rid Greece of its state-owned lignite fleet also makes economic sense The PPC is losing millions of euros each year by operating uneconomic lignite units and the company is running a huge deficit The Greek government elected in July appointed George Stassis to transform the PPC and upgrade its outdated business strategy Part of the PPC’s new strategy is to invest in renewables The utility’s advantage is that it has around 6 GW of renewable power generation capacity to license out some of which is expected to be approved in the near future The government announced in January it will fundamentally restructure the renewables licensing regime by introducing a digital system to speed up approvals The PPC has signed memoranda of cooperation with international firms to jointly develop renewable power projects in Greece the PPC signed an agreement with Portugal’s EDP Renewables aiming to co-develop at least 400 MW of clean power capacity in Greece The PPC’s proposal for vast solar parks in mining regions is likely to involve such PV farms being broken up into special purpose vehicles to be co-financed with international investors The Juwi project comprises three chunks of generation capacity – 139.24 MW 27.68 MW and 37.37 MW – with the largest slice having negotiated a tariff of €0.05446/kWh for the solar power it will supply The other two sections each secured a price of €0.06472/kWh More articles from Ilias Tsagas Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will visit the Kardia Steam Power Plant (SPP) in Ptolemaida on Thursday for the presentation of PPC’s new investment plan for the region The plan will be officially unveiled by the President and CEO of the PPC Group George Stassis The prime minister is expected to deliver remarks at the event the Prime Minister will also attend a separate event on entrepreneurship and regional development at the headquarters of the Region of Western Macedonia in Kozani alongside Alternate Minister of National Economy and Finance Nikos Papathanasis The Ptolemaida 5 lignite-fired power plant was inaugurated today by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and CEOs of PPC and GEK Terna 0 In 2019, the New Democracy government took office in Greece, promising a swift turn away from lignite towards renewables and natural gas as a means to conduct the country’s energy transition. In the meantime the cabinet was forced to acknowledge the importance of the new Ptolemaida 5 coal plant as the energy crisis led to a policy revision and an increased focus on energy security Mitsotakis: The extension of lignite use won’t last long Mitsotakis himself recognized that “Ptolemaida 5 is of strategic importance” while adding that the use of lignite has been extended because of the war in Ukraine but not for long PPC’s Ptolemaida 5 was constructed by Terna in Ptolemaida in Western Macedonia It has a capacity of 660 MW with modern technology that reduces emissions the cost of lignite for Ptolemaida 5 will be EUR 30 per MWh versus EUR 45 per MWh for older lignite plants while it emits one ton of carbon dioxide per megawatt-hour versus 1.4 tons It makes it competitive against natural gas plants even at prices of electricity lower than today However, it is not enough to make the unit commercially viable in the long run so it has been decided to either convert it to natural gas some time after 2028, or make it part of a capacity mechanism It should be noted that Ptolemaida 5 is not the last lignite plant to be built in the Balkans, despite the ongoing coal phaseout process. Indeed, Serbia plans to inaugurate the Kostolac B3 thermal power plant in October in order to overcome energy supply issues and reduce imports Western Macedonia is one of two lignite regions in Greece the other one being Megalopolis in the Peloponnese The government has pledged to support it with generous amounts and with the help of the European Union’s Just Transition Fund and Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) According to Mitsotakis, over EUR 4 billion of funds will be funneled for the completion of over 380 projects aiming at facilitating the region’s transition and a new development model. The program includes a new natural gas pipeline upgrading buldings and renewable energy projects By March 15, the Ministry of Environment and Energy will launch a support program to cover 60% of the installation of rooftop solar power panels with batteries for households across the country 2 GW of electric space has been earmarked in the distribution grid 250,000 solar roofs are expected to be constructed Minister Kostas Skrekas pledged to announce a EUR 360 million program this month for corporate energy communities to connect photovoltaics with batteries of 10 MW and more to the transmission grid Small and mid-size companies can take advantage of this program to find electric space Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced from Kozani on Tuesday that the new Ptolemaida V lignite-fired power unit would remain in the system as a strategic reserve unit after 2028 The government and Public Power Corporation appear to have re-evaluated the use of lignite as a domestic fuel so that it can serve as an energy shield in conditions of crisis and in this context they are also redesigning the future of the long-suffering Ptolemaida V unit The plant was designed in 2007 and construction began in 2015 It launched operations on a trial basis only last fall and will start commercial operation in March a budget comparable to building a nuclear plant “The unit will be a strategic reserve unit in the future for the country,” the PM said during his visit to the facilities stressing its importance for Greece’s energy security “The energy shielding of our country dictates that we have every means available to protect ourselves from possible energy crises such as the one we are experiencing today,” said PPC head Giorgos Stassis PPC sources told Kathimerini that theose statements are connected to the company’s reinstatement of the request for the characterization of the lignite units as a strategic reserve which had been submitted to Brussels in the very recent past without a response PPC has reportedly made it clear to the government it will not operate the new plant at a loss and it will enter the system when and for as long as natural gas prices are high for which PPC should be compensated,” the same sources emphasize PPC’s view is that Brussels is more willing than before to accept such a request as it is not easy to raise serious objections when the EU itself has urged member-states to switch to domestic fuels to address the energy crisis PPC also expresses the opinion that in the event of a negative stance by the Commission Greece could unilaterally implement the measure since it concerns the country’s energy security PPC presented a EUR 5.8 billion investment plan for the coal region of Western Macedonia in northern Greece 0 According to PPC’s chairman and CEO George Stassis, the endeavor consists of the decommissioning of old assets and the rollout of new energy technologies Stassis: Western Macedonia can reinvent itself said it would return to the government 8,000 hectares of coal land that it no longer needs such as 400 kilometers of lignite conveyor belts According to the decarbonization timeframe Ptolemaida 5 will be the last coal plant in the country continuing to operate until the end of 2026 It is set to be converted to a gas power plant with a capacity of 350 MW PPC is also open to upgrading it to 500 MW or even 1 GW “Western Macedonia can reinvent itself using new technology,” said the CEO The group aims to install a total of 2.1 GW in photovoltaics across the region. A 550 MW solar power plant in the former lignite mine of Ptolemaida is almost complete. It will be the biggest in the Balkans. Separately, a group of clusters of 940 MW is under construction within the Meton joint venture with German RWE Energy storage is another major segment in PPC’s investment plan it aims to funnel EUR 940 million for a total capacity of 860 MW It includes two pumped storage hydropower projects The one in Kardia is for 320 MW and an eight-hour storage duration and the other in the South Lignite Field – 240 MW and a 12-hour duration The projects are worth EUR 430 million and EUR 310 million battery storage units of 300 MW altogether would be installed in Amyndaio Meliti and Kardia in the country’s main coal region The other one is Megalopolis in the Peloponnese PPC plans a 50 MW hydrogen production facility together with Motor Oil, as Hellenic Hydrogen, and a cogeneration plant to cover district heating needs from the end of 2026 Last but not least, the Greek group aims to create a 300 MW data center as part of an investment of EUR 2.3 billion A subsidiary in fiber optic cables would upgrade the telecommunication links with Thessaloniki and Igoumenitsa to improve data flow in Greece and abroad PPC would further upgrade the data center to 1 GW increasing its investment by EUR 5.4 billion Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at the event that existing infrastructure in Western Macedonia is a great advantage PPC’s lignite plants are to continue operation beyond 2023 in a reversal of the government’s decarbonization policy 0 The government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis promised in 2019 a quick decarbonization of the country’s power sector through the decommissioning of almost all lignite-fired plants by 2023 the energy crisis has silently led to a postponement More specifically, the original plan was for all lignite plants to retire by the end of 2023, except for Ptolemaida 5, Public Power Corp.’s (PPC) new unit that was supposed to operate with lignite for a few years before switching to natural gas by 2028 at the latest. Through the plan Greece would end its consumption of lignite and replace it with renewables and natural gas Skrekas: Lignite must provide 17% to 20% of electricity in the winter The energy crisis has placed the security of supply at the forefront of energy policy, while natural gas is no longer seen as the transition fuel because of its high cost. The coal power sector was called upon in the summer to once again increase output to help keep prices down. The plants are currently producing almost 10% of the country’s electricity According to Minister of Environment and Energy Kostas Skrekas the short-term goal is for lignite plants to cover 17% to 20% of the country’s needs during the winter the ministry and PPC have boosted operations at large lignite mines as capacity utilization weakened substantially over the past years Agios Dimitrios 3 and Agios Dimitrios 4 recently received an extension from 2023 to the end of 2025 in order to help secure the Greek system The permits provide them each with about 30,000 total hours of operation from the middle of 2021 to the end of 2025 It is estimated that currently they have about 20,000 hours left apiece The ministry argued that the European Union demands a reduction of natural gas consumption as a result of the crisis Another aspect of the policy turn has to do with PPC’s brand new Ptolemaida 5 plant which is in the process of testing before commercial operation around the end of 2022 In past years there was a plan to switch fuel from lignite to natural gas at some point from 2026 to 2028 to enable the plant to continue working the government has been silent about its plans for Ptolemaida 5 and some market players believe it is going to remain a lignite plant at least through 2028 and possibly even further The energy crisis has created a lot of uncertainty concerning the commercial viability of gas plants compared to coal plants the high cost of natural gas has made lignite more competitive in the market Countries like Greece are currently preparing their revised national energy and climate plans (NECPs) which need to set new goals for 2030 for each technology According to recent studies new natural gas plants will have a hard time competing in the wholesale market from 2025 It is true for Greece as well as they would require capacity mechanisms to remain afloat Since fuel costs directly influence the size of the remuneration mechanism the Greek government wants to retain all options open It is why it will be interesting to see the new national goal for natural gas and lignite in the upcoming NECP Looking to access paid articles across multiple policy topics Interested in policy insights for EU professional organisations “We are saying goodbye to the coal age,” Greece’s energy state secretary told EURACTIV following last week’s announcement that the country’s last lignite plant will be shut down in 2025 A huge excavator is seen on operation as smoke rises from a power plant in the background, at the lignite center of Western Macedonia, near the city of Ptolemaida, northern Greece, 03 October 2014. [EPA/YANNIS KOLESIDIS] has surpassed expectations with its first-ever green bond The energy utility also broke new ground at EU level by committing to pay investors a higher fee if it misses its climate goals Gas power plants overtook lignite in 2020 to become the EU's single largest source of power sector emissions according to fresh analysis from energy think tank Ember Public Power Corporation presented an ambitious investment plan for the transformation of West Macedonia into a technological and green energy hub for Greece and Southeast Europe PPC is investing in the entire range of new technologies to transform the area into a hub of digital and energy technology equipment and buildings left behind by delignitization from RES and energy storage to new energy production units fiber-optic networks and mainly data centers The doubling of coal-fired power generation by 2022 proved an elusive target and its contribution to electricity price containment correspondingly negligible as the commercial operation of the new Ptolemaida V lignite unit is expected to add 660 megawatts of power to PPC’s brown coal potential after a week-long break due to the holidays is expected to resume in the next few days and be completed so that it can be handed over to PPC for commercial operation at the end of January and beginning of February The inauguration of the unit – which was planned in 2007 with construction beginning in 2015 – will be carried out who is also expected to announce the extension of its operation until 2028 instead of 2025 as foreseen in the PPC de-lignitization timetable The Independent Power Transmission Operator (ADMIE) also deems its operation necessary until 2028 with lignite and from 2031 with natural gas Official figures from ADMIE for the first 11 months of 2022 show that lignite production increased though only by 2.2% compared to the same period of 2021 In January-November 2022 PPC units produced a total of 4,979.04 gigawatt-hours against 4,869 GWh in the corresponding period in 2021 The government goal that was announced for the first time in April by Mitsotakis and to which PPC was subsequently committed The viability of Ptolemaida V was strongly questioned in the pre-crisis period and PPC had planned its operation from 2025 with natural gas But the energy crisis changed everything regarding the costs of natural gas and lignite and transformed this ugly duckling into a swan the first symptoms of insufficient production in the mining sector became visible shut down and had to be restarted with diesel fuel because of the poor quality of the lignite Dante is an award-winning editor and writer who has contributed features either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content The belching smokestacks of Ptolemaida's coal-fired energy plant are a sign of opportunity for Greeks who lost their jobs after the country's financial meltdown in 2007 they're a symbol of the European Union's hypocrisy the EU approved new regulations aimed at cutting toxic emissions from burning dirty fuels "Air pollution is the prime environmental cause of premature death in the European Union," Enrico Brivio as part of its continuing austerity measures the bloc provided Greece with 1.75 billion euros ($1.85 billion) to build two new coal plants they would emit more than 7 million tons of carbon dioxide a year the EU's most powerful member and a self-proclaimed green energy leader "The EU is trying to get everything from poor European countries like Greece and the Balkans," says photojournalist Anna Pantelia whose work includes photographing Greece's refugee crisis spent five days at the Greek Public Power Corp.'s Ptolemaida mine last year documenting the human and environmental toll coal extraction has taken on her nation PPC has dominated Greek energy production since the 1950s and over the decades its 625-square-mile mine—which will expand thanks to the EU's investment—has gobbled up villages homes and lives in northern Greece and Western Macedonia Thousands of people have been displaced since 1976 and seven out of 10 deaths in​ Ptolemaida are due to cancer or thromboembolic disease according to the deputy regional health manager for Western Macedonia Yet coal mining has created an estimated 10,000 jobs in a region hard hit by the financial crisis Men employed in mines and plants get guaranteed contracts and salaries (some earn as little as 680 euros ($837) per month and the dignity of work is enough to set aside the potential hazards of extracting lignite But her images are also powerful evidence that there's more at stake than jobs—even if well-off EU states can't Newsletters in your inbox See all Coal power production in Greece slumped in the first nine months of 2024 and a new record low was registered in September 0 According to official data from the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO or Admie) and the Green Tank’s own analysis September had the most hours of lignite-free production with 463 hours or 64.3% The previous record was in May: 456 hours or 61.3% In absolute terms, last month was also the second lowest for lignite, with production of 159.4 GWh Greece relied on lignite during the hot summer months to cover increased demand The share of coal plants even reached 15% of the country’s mix on certain days in August they were entirely off the market for several weeks in the spring drastically reducing their share on an annual scale a whopping 30% less than the same period of 2023 The system operated without these conventional baseload units for 1,575 hours or 24% of the total Skylakakis: Coal power costs EUR 200 per MWh Minister of Environment and Energy Thodoros Skylakakis said lignite is partly responsible for high energy prices in the country, but that it is expected to change “Lignite is much more expensive than renewables. If the production of power from natural gas costs EUR 100 per MWh then from lignite it costs EUR 200 per MWh Greece currently uses primarily renewables and natural gas,” he stated Greece’s revised National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) calls for a complete exit from lignite by 2028. According to the schedule, all units will be taken offline by 2025 except for the new Ptolemaida 5 facility Public Power Corporation (PPC), its owner, has different expectations. The group has said that it plans to decommission Ptolemaida 5 by 2026, meaning an earlier coal exit for the country as a whole It remains to be seen whether there will be changes in the final version of the NECP to be submitted to the European Commission within a few weeks The plans for a coal phaseout in Greece seem to be accelerating as the only thermal power plant project may be switched to gas earlier 0 The Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) of Greece annulled the production license for the Public Power Co.’s coal units Kardia 1 and 2 and Amyntaio 1 and 2 Their share of the country’s lignite-fired thermal power capacity was 27% PPC’s Kardia took its two units offline in June 2019 when they exhausted the 17,500 operating hours that they were entitled to according to the European Union’s environmental legislation under the opt-out regime which spent its 17,500 hours in November 2018 still continued to operate until May 2 of last year The four lignite units in the country’s north had a nominal capacity of 1.2 GW in total The lignite-fired systems that have just been taken off the board were some of the worst polluters in the EU for decades Kardia 1 and 2 emitted dust that was almost 15 times above the legal limit Amyntaio exceeded the sulfur dioxide ceiling by more than six times Regions dependent on coal have been economically devastated and they need support “The official retirement of the four lignite units in Amyntaio and Kardia underlines the urgent need for supporting the country’s lignite regions, which are already facing the consequences of the observed collapse of Greece’s lignite production Greece has every opportunity to fully switch from lignite to clean energy in a socially just manner without the ‘mediation’ of fossil gas as a ‘transition fuel’,” said Nikos Mantzaris PPC is still determined to build the Ptolemaida 5 lignite-fired unit of 660 MW President and Chief Executive Officer Georgios Stassis said last week that the planned facility may be converted to gas by 2025 instead of 2028 As the coal power plant is planned to be finished next year it is even more doubtful that it could avoid heavy losses due to rising prices of carbon dioxide emission certificates and the cost of the switch to the other fossil fuel The only remaining coal power plant project in Greece may generate CO2 emission expenses of over EUR 1 billion by 2028 Even if the CO2 costs remain the same by 2028 PPC would be burdened with more than EUR 1 billion almost as much as the new unit would be worth If the European Union decides to stop funding fossil gas projects at the end of 2025 the expenses for the switch would rise further Another issue is the retail price of district heating for the impoverished local community The GEK Terna conglomerate gave the best offer for the construction of a 550 MW photovoltaic plant in northern Greece 0 The conglomerate will be tasked with producing a study supplying the remaining equipment and building It is envisaged to have 550 MW in nominal capacity which would make it one of the largest in Europe as well The location is within the Ptolemaida lignite mining hub in the Western Macedonia province in northern Greece It spans an area within the municipalities of Eordaia and Kozani PPC Renewables gave a 22-month deadline for getting the solar power plant online In case the contractor finishes the works at least 60 days earlier it is entitled to a premium of 2.5% of the value of the contract News outlets learned that the company wouldn’t participate in auctions with the project but that it would sell electricity through bilateral deals – power purchase agreements (PPA) The largest photovoltaic plant in Greece, at 204 MW, is owned by HELLENiQ Energy, formerly known as Hellenic Petroleum PPC Renewables is about to finish a 230 MW complex in Ptolemaida Terna, from the GEK Terna Group, was picked last year by PPC Renewables to install a 50 MW solar power plant in the Megalopolis area in the Peloponnese PPC’s 550 MW facility will be one of the largest solar power plants in Europe In August, Iberdrola commissioned the largest solar plant in Europe, with an installed capacity of 590 MW. The facility is in the western Spanish region of Extremadura The country also hosts the largest photovoltaic complex in Europe with 15 power plants of 50 MW each in Aragon In Serbia, Fintel Energia and MK Group are developing a 660 MW agrisolar project which will combine crop production with electricity generation El Sun Energy plans to build a 950 MW solar power plant in Croatia A power plant with a nameplate capacity of 1.35 GW will soon be completed in Turkey’s Konya province PPC and its renewables branch have established several partnerships with domestic and foreign companies Greece aims to end coal use by 2028. Greece will boost coal mining by 50% and extend the operation of all its coal-fired power plants to 2028 instead of closing them down by 2023 as previously planned Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Wednesday The country’s state-run power utility PPC had pledged to shut down all but one of its coal-fired plants by 2023 and switch a new more efficient coal-fired unit (Ptolemaida 5) due to open later this year to a cleaner fuel by 2025 This was part of Mitsotakis’ ambitious National Energy and Climate Plan presented in September 2019 to phase coal out of its electricity mix by 2028 at the latest “It is a temporary measure,” Mitsotakis said at the inauguration of a 204.3 MW photovoltaic park by Hellenic Petroleum (ELPE) will operate as a lignite unit in the coming years (until 2028) and if some of the more modern but old PPC units need to remain in operation it is something that will be evaluated according to the needs of the moment but also according to the prices and the availability of natural gas,” he added Mitsotakis said that “in no case” will these changes affect Greece’s announced goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% in 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050 Earlier, two sources from PPC told Reuters the company plans to increase coal extraction this year to make sure there are no power shortages in the event Russia halts gas supplies to Greece Four police officers and a protester were slightly injured on Wednesday during clashes in Ptolemaida when some 50-60 members of a far-right group tried to gatecrash a fire brigade academy graduation ceremony which was attended by Citizens’ Protection Minister Olga Gerovasili Members of the “Ptolemies of Macedonia,” reportedly draped in Greek flags and chanting slogans against the name deal between Greece and North Macedonia tried to break through a police barricade outside the academy the Athens-Macedonian News Agency said the ringleader of the group is a trade unionist and known locally for his far-right views Newsletter | Support us Sign up here (+30) 697 162 8938 (Signal & WhatsApp)solomon-tips@protonmail.com A journey to Western Macedonia where the region’s villages are being wiped off the map by coal mining On Saturday morning in Pontokοmis everything is totally quiet Two kids sit on the steps of the community center They are surrounded by empty offices and shops signs of an abandoned village that once numbered more than 1,000 residents The village is now in the process of relocation in order for the lignite deposits hidden in the region’s soil to be developed depicting how they want their new town to look “We want to capture something from the history of our Pontic background in memory of our ancestors who came here as refugees after the Asia Minor catastrophe in 1922,” Makis Michaelides secretary general of the village’s cultural association The decision to enforce the eminent domain of Pontokomis by PPC (Public Power Corporation) was published in the Government Gazette in 2012 as the process of rebuilding the new settlement is delayed many residents have moved to the nearby towns of Kozani and Ptolemaida Aleka Papadopoulou took up her new job as the headmaster of the village high school two years ago – at a school that came with an expiration date “The stress of when the village would have to relocate made parents just take their children (and leave) and so we were only left with 16 students last year and it was decided that the school would shut down after 41 years of operation.” the school hosted children from four villages in the region Soon Mavrodendri will be the only village left on the map “Those who are outsiders and who have their own homes for them it’s easy to say ‘the residents of those villages will be fine let them relocate.’ But it’s still an uprooting,” the headmaster tells Solomon MAG The forced relocation of villages for coal mining in Western Macedonia began in 1972 Six villages have since been “lifted” – as locals say – and five more will follow PPC officials interviewed by Solomon MAG reported that approximately €1 billion have been paid so far for expropriations and relocation while another billion has been paid for land expropriations The cost of expropriation and relocation is entirely borne by PPC Law 3937 on Biodiversity Conservation provided for cases where the state budget is also burdened when the settlements do not have lignite deposits in their subsoil but relocation is necessary because the quality of life for the inhabitants is significantly declined due to the proximity to the mines and coal ash dumps 3.3 satellite jobs were created in machine shops and workshops For every euro spent on wages and contracts more than three euros were generated in the local economy while the cumulative value of coal mined from 1960 to 2011 is estimated to have provided the region with a total wealth of €35 billion an agricultural district was rapidly converted into a vast industrial center Unskilled farmers have become unskilled workers and traditional occupations have been significantly reduced with a cost to the local economy valued at € 2.6 billion for 1999 – 2009 alone society has paid a high environmental price – which has largely been passed down to future generations The economic downturn has reduced electricity demand while oil and gas prices remain relatively low Renewable Energy sources have increased competition while high fines for carbon emissions imposed by European environmental legislation have made cost-cutting difficult for the production of lignite kilowatt hours the company’s permanent workforce has shrunk by 1,600 people Workers who retire are not replaced with new hires who for many years have been suffering environmental and health consequences “in return” for the wealth that coal has brought to the area PPC has accumulated debts to the local businesses and contractors – who as this was confirmed to Solomon MAG by company executives from the largest contractor to the last pensioner for a hundred years we owe them,” said a contractor working in the area discussions about political developments and the future of PPC are frequent the majority of those who remain in the village are retired many of whom worked in the PPC mines and factories a former coal worker and president of the local Association for the Environment and Quality of Life having spent a lifetime in the mines with intense trade unionism you have to choose: do you want development or do you want health?” He tells Solomon MAG “Based on the ages written on the gravestones in the village cemetery you understand the problem but he didn’t reach retirement,” Antonis says explaining that since the closure of Ptolemaidas Power Station and two of the four units of the Kardias Power Station “But what difference does that make when people work for a contractor for two euro an hour You work twelve hours in the mine to make 22 euro that is to say you have to support your family on 450 euro a month You can tell the young people to become farmers Three power stations now operate on the Ptolemaida-Amyntaio axis, Agios Dimitrios Power Station, Amyntaio Power Station and units 3 and 4 of the Kardias Power Station. According to the WWF’s Lignite Observatory all three are subject to an exemption by environmental law which lead to increased pollution emissions while Amyntaio and Agios Dimitrios Stations are among those which emit the highest pollution in Europe 22,900 premature deaths per year in Europe are due to air pollution caused by coal-burning power plants despite the extensive lignite activity next to the cities villages and arable lands of Western Macedonia no epidemiological study has been carried out in the area Individual studies have shown increased incidences of respiratory-related illnesses and evidence that has seen occasional publicity from the two major hospitals in Kozani and Ptolemaida confirms the rapid increase in cancer cases described by residents Mrs Grigoriadou lost her husband to lung cancer at the age of 59 and after a few years she became ill herself “Every family has at least one cancer patient they lost their father.” After struggling with illness she registered with the Eordiaia Association of Cancer Patients and became president of the association a year and a half ago and we are in contact with another 400 people who wish not to register for reasons of privacy.” A short distance from the South Field Mine a few hundred meters from the first houses while Agios Dimitrios Power Station is only a short distance away The president of the local environmental association “The biggest crime that PPC committed was that by 1991 they had been depositing pure ash outside the village,” he tells Solomon MAG they covered it with soil and planted acacia trees They were pouring pure ash – in other words We have three times as many lung cancer deaths in our area Four times they tried to do an epidemiological study but they never managed to do it we looked at all the death certificates and causes of death and recorded our own archives.” a survey by the Kozani Municipal Sewerage Company detected high levels of faint chromium in the spring water that supplied Akrini and three other villages at the time Findings from experts of Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University led to who was responsible for the management of the ash resulting in four PPC executives being charged as the court ruled that the rinsing of the ash due to improper management and its penetration into the groundwater played a role in contaminating the springs PPC has filed evidence that the area’s rock formations are at fault “We are accused of contaminating the groundwater at 600 meters but we found chromium at 1,500 meters 800 meters beyond the Agios Dimitrios plant The ash is not the cause of the hexavalent chromium findings and this will be proven in the Court of Appeals,” company executives told Solomon MAG “They say that on a spring coming down from the mountain how is it possible to find a spring contaminated with chromium and not inform the locals?” Kostas Poutakidis wonders the court’s judgement is an important argument in favor of their struggle for relocation PPC has expropriated 5,000 acres of arable land and had expressed interest in expropriating another 5,000 in the Akrini plain residents succeeded in including the relocation of Akrini in Biodiversity Conservation Act 3937 citing not only the deterioration of their quality of life due to environmental damage but also from the standpoint of sustainability What will those who lose their fields live on The law providing for the cost of relocation to be shared between PPC and the state has not yet been implemented and PPC has made clear that it will not proceed “As long as Akrini does not have lignite in its soil PPC is not entitled to relocate the village The expropriation of the plain was also canceled as was the promotion of having the mine near Akrini as PPC was not expanding its activities to the area of ​​Akrini,”say business executives “Since the mines and factories were built here give us the right to a second chance to leave the area and relocate,” says Kostas Poutakidis we met Tassos while he was grazing his flock The Agios Dimitrios Power Station loomed in the distance “Life next to the factory and mine is grim,” he told us the groundwater goes into the mines and the fields become dry millions of people will become environmental refugees because of the effects of environmental pollution and the consequences of climate change In Greece this has been happening since the 1970s because of the country’s energy dependence on coal which has been a national policy for decades In part two of Solomon’s report read about the personal testimonies of the residents of two more coal villages in Western Macedonia environmental organizations and PPC executives are positioned to move into a post-coal era that has already begun please consider donating and becoming a reader who makes our work possible The country’s coldest day dates back to January, 1963, -27.8° in Ptolemaida Greece’s coldest ever day was recorded around this time of the year 49 years ago, on January 27, 1963, in the northern town Ptolemaida, the country’s biggest energy producing hub for decades, when the temperature reached as low as -27.8 degrees Celsius, according to official data provided by the National Meteorological Service. Other locations in Greece would seemingly be likelier holders of this coldest-temperature record, given their track records. For instance, Nevrokopi, in the Drama region, also in the north, produces the lowest average temperature virtually every winter season, while Nymfaio, in the Florina region, and a range of other nearby places, are renowned for their freezing winter temperatures. Even so, extremely low temperatures are regularly recorded in record-holding Ptolemaida. It comes as no surprise that the record-low temperature was recorded during the winter of 1962-63. It has gone down in history as the “winter of ice” and was the coldest winter of the 20th century for many European countries. Not surprisingly, three of Greece’s ten lowest ever temperatures were recorded that winter. On the day Ptolemaida set the country’s record-low temperature, Serres, in the north, recorded -23 °C, while, a day earlier, the temperature in the northern city Thessaloniki had dropped to -14°C. These freezing temperatures were the culmination of a difficult period as, in the lead-up, in December, 1962, the snowfall on the Kastoria-Florina highway reached nearly two metres. Extremely heavy rainfall was experienced in Athens, as well as in the western port city Patras, while, at some points during that record-breaking winter, the Evros river in Greece’s northeast was completely frozen. These freezing weather conditions inevitably led to casualties. The extreme weather events in Greece, a Mediterranean country, were part of a winter that resulted in even harsher conditions in central and northern parts of Europe. In the UK, the winter of 1962-63 is remembered as “The Big Freeze”. It took until March 6, 1963 for the ice covering British roads to completely vanish. Major snowfall was also experienced in central European countries, while the fish population of the North Sea diminished as a large number of fish were unable to cope with the freezing temperatures. Returning to Ptolemaida, the northern city is not a tourism attraction, but it certainly does not lack beauty and interesting things to do. It is worth visiting the Palaeontological-Historical Museum of Ptolemaida, offering insight into the location’s lignite deposits, a main energy source, over many decades, for Greece’s grid. The museum also exhibits impressive tusks that have been discovered in the wider area. They date back to elephant predecessors. Ptolemaida’s biggest bonus is its pivotal location serving as an ideal base for the discovery of abundant beauty in northern Greece’s wider western Macedonia region the location may be reached in 5 ½ to 6 hours by car The wider region is also serviced by Kozani airport 3 villages near Athens for winter weekends – Experience the magic of nature 2 hours away from the city centre The Athenian couple who left the city to live at 1,250 m altitude Gorgeous under-the-radar Greek village reveals its secrets Melbourne author and retired health educationist Anastasia Gessa-Liveriadis has donated a large plot of land to Bodosakeio Hospital in her home-town of Ptolemaida According to a report by local media outlet e-ptolemeos.gr expressed in a letter to the hospital’s board of directors her intention to donate a 976 square-metre plot of land to the hospital Ms Gessa-Liveriadis said in the letter that the land which she owned with her daughter would be donated to the hospital for “the benefit of the residents of my hometown and surrounding area.” a descendant of the old family of Ioannou Gessa writer and school counselor in the Greek community of Melbourne Panagiotis Liveriadis,” reported the local news outlet READ MORE: Book review: The Lace Tablecloth by Anastasia Gessa-Liveriadis “We are particularly pleased to see that the tradition of benefactors continues in our area,” said the report Ms Gessa-Liveriadis was born and grew up in Ptolemaida She went to high school there and then studied at the Athens School of Public Health to graduate in 1956 as Visiting Sister and Nurse She migrated to Melbourne in 1959 and went on to graduate of the College of Nursing Australia (DipNEd) and La Trobe University (Bed She devoted most of her working life to mental health nursing education She turned to writing after she retired to write books poems and contribute articles to magazines and newspapers She has won numerous awards in Greek literary competitions and won the 2008 Aggelidion Foundation Greek book of the year award for her first novel Her other works include “The Lace Tablecloth” and “A Lifetime in Verses 1952-20” Ptolemaida has a high level of seismic activity Based on data from the past 55 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900 there are about 1,100 quakes on average per year in or near Ptolemaida Ptolemaida has had at least 6 quakes above magnitude 6 since 1900 which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently probably on average approximately every 20 to 25 years The last earthquake in Ptolemaida occurred 11 minutes ago and had a magnitude of 2.0: Mag. 2.0 earthquake Greece-North Macedonia Border - writeAge(1746481089)A light magnitude 2.0 earthquake hit Greece-North Macedonia Border late in the evening of Monday The depth of the quake is unknown.The quake was not felt (or at least not reported so) Ptolemaida has had 5 quakes of magnitude 2.0 or above There were also 11 quakes below magnitude 2.0 which people don't normally feel The strongest earthquake in Ptolemaida in the past 24 hours had a magnitude of 2.2 and occurred 13 hours ago: Mag. 2.2 earthquake Western Macedonia - N. Greece - writeAge(1746434593)A light magnitude 2.2 earthquake hit 35 km (22 mi) away from Kozani, West Macedonia,  Greece The wave of bad weather begins its advance from Western Macedonia where the largest amounts of snowfall are expected We are set to experience a “severe snowstorm” with heavy snowfalls over the next few days in the country The wave of bad weather is beginning its advance from Western Macedonia the largest amounts of snowfall are anticipated As meteorologist Thodoris Kolydas stated on STAR the phenomena will be more intense in Evros and Thrace where they are expected to start appearing on Sunday evening and into the early hours of Monday morning the meteorologist notes that while snow in mountainous areas may reach half a meter it is unlikely to see similar amounts within urban areas while snowfall is expected in Thessaloniki it is more likely to “settle” in the more elevated surrounding areas drivers need to exercise particular caution due to low visibility especially in the areas of Platamonas and Katerini vehicles will need chains due to heavy snowfalls the meteorologist highlights that there will also be heavy snowfalls in Thessaly urging particular caution for residents in areas such as Trikala and Kalampaka Locally heavy rain and thunderstorms will occur initially in the northern Ionian Sea and Epirus gradually spreading to Western and Central Macedonia Thessaly (mainly in the eastern and northern parts) and the islands of the northern and eastern Aegean.In Western Macedonia particularly heavy snowfalls will occur in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas from morning until noon gradually extending to lower altitudes.In Central and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace snowfalls will initially occur in mountainous areas moving to semi-mountainous areas by midday and later in the evening extending to lower altitudes In Epirus and Thessaly (particularly the western parts) snow will fall in mountainous and semi-mountainous areas starting from midday.Locally gale-force northeasterly winds will blow in the northern Aegean from midday.Temperatures will drop by 6-7 degrees in northern Greece and by 3-4 degrees in the central regions Intense phenomena will persist in the northern and central regions and Thrace.Temperature will continue to drop and snow chains will be mandatory in several mountainous areas Northeasterly winds will intensify to 8 Beaufort in the Aegean.Maximum temperature for Athens: 9°C Rain and snow will begin to weaken in most regions except for Thrace and the Eastern Aegean islands Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr Another fatal road accident claimed the lives of 2 bears of this year’s litter late on Wednesday night (28/8) on the Florina-Ptolemaida road (near the Vefi junction) The “Arcturus” immediate intervention team was found at the spot along with the police who assisted in the operation to remove the two dead animals as the mama bear was at the spot along with her third bear cub who were walking on the road ?Another fatal car crash claimed the lives of 2 bears of this year’s litter late Wednesday night According to the “Bear,” this is thesecond fatal car crash in 10 days in the area 22 bears have been killed in car crashes since 2020 to date while another 12 have been killed by other man-made causes (poisoned bait or gunshot) Carols and holiday wishes were on the agenda for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion the Prime Minister welcomed the Lyceum of Greek Women and the Music School of Ptolemaida to perform traditional Christmas carols The Prime Minister listened to the carols alongside his family including his wife Mareva and their children