Through their respective businesses RWE Renewables Gmbh and HELPE Renewables SA, RWE and Hellenic Petroleum Holdings team together to jointly investigate offshore wind potential in Greek waters. Recently, the two businesses agreed to the parameters of a 50/50 collaboration with the intention of working together on the planning, building, and management of offshore wind farms off the coast of Greece. Given Greece's stated goal of having 2 GW of operational offshore wind power by 2030—for both fixed-bottom and floating projects—this alliance becomes even more relevance.
George Alexopoulos, Executive Member of the BoD of Hellenic Petroleum Holdings and CEO of HELPE Renewables stated: “The cooperation with RWE Renewables, a global leader in offshore wind, constitutes an important element in the implementation of our ‘Vision 2025’ strategic transformation process of the Group. In particular, this initiative is expected to make a significant contribution to the realisation of the Group’s strategic target of 2 GW of installed renewables capacity by 2030. We believe that our country has excellent potential for the development of a thriving offshore wind sector and we aim, together with our partner RWE, to lead this effort.”
Sven Utermöhlen, CEO Wind Offshore of RWE Renewables, explained: “The country’s excellent wind resource in combination with its long coast line result in a vast potential for offshore wind developments, which makes us confident that the Greek offshore wind industry will gain real momentum. The complementary nature of our partnership with Hellenic Petroleum is the key to developing a value proposition that accelerates the offshore wind build-out off the Greek coast. Hellenic Petroleum is deeply rooted locally and shares our ambition to drive the growth of offshore wind. Combined with RWE’s track record of more than 20 years in developing, constructing and operating offshore wind projects, we are well placed to supply competitive green energy from offshore wind to the Greek market.”
Costas Papamantellos, CEO of RWE Renewables Hellas, adds: “RWE is already present in Greece and offshore wind expands on our solar footprint. We are committed to continue playing an important role in Greece’s energy transition, and we are very excited to also form a partnership with Hellenic Petroleum to develop wind farms off the Greek coast.”
Complementary competences in offshore wind development and local market experience
RWE and Hellenic Petroleum possess complementary strengths and will enable the establishment of a competitive industry for offshore wind in Greece.
RWE is a leading global player in renewables and determined to contribute its technical and commercial expertise gained from the realisation and operation of 18 offshore wind farms in five countries to forge ahead with offshore wind in Greece. By 2030, RWE intends to grow its global offshore wind capacity from currently 3 GW to 8 GW (capacity represents RWE’s share only). Furthermore, RWE is also well on track to become a leader in floating wind and to have 1 GW either in operation or under construction by 2030. To gain experience early, RWE is participating in multiple floating demo projects in Norway, Spain and the US, each based on different concepts. The most advanced project is the TetraSpar Demonstrator project, which was commissioned off the Norwegian coast in 2021.
As one of the largest energy companies in the south-eastern European region, headquartered in Athens and present in six countries, Hellenic Petroleum has in-depth knowledge of the Greek and regional energy markets, strong relationships with key stakeholders and is well positioned to provide strong local management and expertise. HELPE Renewables has currently almost 300 MW in operation, including the 204 MW Kozani PV plant, the largest bifacial PV plant in Europe, and is developing a PV and wind project pipeline in excess of 2 GW.
