Brussels, 03/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - Greece and the Commission are placing their bets on the photovoltaic project, Helios, which could turn a country that is weighed under by debt into an exporter of clean energy.
Taking part in a high level conference on renewable energy projects in South East Europe, on Tuesday 3 April, in Athens, Günther Oettinger urged Greece to do what is necessary to take forward its flagship project, Helios, for the production of photovoltaic energy, in which Germany plans to participate. The Helios project includes the installation of solar energy panels over a 200 km2 surface area for the production of 10 gigawatts of electricity. The commissioner for energy said the project could become an avant-garde project not only for Greece, which has enormous renewable energy potential, but also for the EU. For the project to be a success, it needs a clear investment framework, development of the Greek electricity grid, and interconnection with the European network, as well as the completion of liberalisation on the Greek market, he stressed, promising Commission support to help Greece become a stable and competitive energy producer.
Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos gave his assurance that the Helios project was a “national priority”, likely to stimulate growth in an over-indebted Greece that has been bogged down in a crisis for the past five years, and to make the country the largest clean energy exporter of the EU. With over 300 days of sunshine per year, Greece hopes to step up its solar energy production from the current 206 megawatts to 2.2 gigawatts by 2020, then to 10 gigawatts by 2050. To this end, Athens plans to attract over €20 billion in solar energy investment. The German secretary of state for the environment, Jürgen Becker, reiterated Germany's wish to take part in the Helios project. (EH/transl.jl)