| Amyntaio Power Station | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Official name | ΑΗΣ Αμυνταίου |
| Country | Greece |
| Location | Amyntaio,Western Macedonia |
| Coordinates | 40°37′8″N21°41′2″E / 40.61889°N 21.68389°E /40.61889; 21.68389 |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1983 |
| Commission date | 1987 (1987) |
| Owner | Public Power Corporation (PPC) |
| Operator | |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Lignite |
| Site elevation | 660 m (2,165 ft) |
| Cooling source | Polyfytos Lake [el] |
| Cogeneration? | Yes |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 2 x 300 MW |
| Make and model | Turbo generator byLMZ;Sulzer boiler byStein Industrie |
| Nameplate capacity | 600 MW |
Amyntaio Power Station (Greek:ΑΗΣ Αμυνταίου) is a 600 MWcoal-firedpower station nearAmyntaio inWestern Macedonia,Greece. Build and commissioned in the mid 1980s, the power station is fuelled bylignite from the adjacentAmyntaio coal mine.
Today it is one of six power plants in an area called theWestern Macedonia Lignite Center, which is located in thePtolemaida Basin and constitutes the largestcoalfield in Greece and theBalkans. Both the power plant and the adjacent mine are owned by thePublic Power Corporation (PPC).
The power station was constructed between 1983 and 1986[1] by a consortium of FrenchAlsthom-Atlantique andStein Industries, RussianEnergomachexport andZarubezhenergoproekt and GreekBiokat.
It consists of two units with a generation capacity of 300 MW each.Turbo generators are built by RussianLMZ, whileSulzer boilers are supplied by FrenchStein Industrie.[2] The plant's 200 metres (660 ft) tall chimney is one of thetallest structures in Greece.
Thelignite fuel is dug out by severalbucket-wheel excavators and transported bybelt conveyors from the adjacentopen-pitAmyntaio coal mine.[3]Feedwater is transported from the nearbyLake Vegoritida and the artificialLake Polyfytos [el], some 50 km south of the plant.
A 50 MW / 200 MWhbattery energy storage system started construction in 2025.[4]
The power plant's first unit has been in operation since January 1987 with the second unit following in August 1987. Its lifespan is limited by the remaining exploitable deposits in the Amyntaio mine.[5] As PPC requested article 33Limited lifetime derogation status for its Amyntaio andKardia plants, excluding them from compliance with stricter emission limits set by theEU directive 2010/75, they are expected to be shut down by the end of 2023.[6]
In 2013, the Greek government included the Amyntaio power plant in a list of assets which PPC was required to spin-off to a subsidiary. This subsidiary was set to be turned into a new competing electricity company following its privatization.[7] Following large scale protests and limited corporate interest in entering the Greek lignite market, the newSyriza-led government however announced it would call off the privatization.[8]
The power station is equipped to make productive use ofwaste heat, supplying the nearby town ofAmyntaio and the villages ofFilotas andLevea [el] withco-generateddistrict heat. Connecting to the power stations steam pipelines, the municipalDistrict Heating Company of Amyndeo operates an extensive network connecting 1250 public and residential buildings.[9]
Originally constructed in 2005, the district heating network is currently being expanded by a planned 50% to cover a larger share of the three villages' heating requirements. Accordingly, the equipment is being upgraded to allow for thermal loads up to 34MWth.[10]
The Amyntaio district heating project is the third project of its kind in Greece following similar projects inKozani andPtolemaida. It has become a model project in transnational cooperation with the neighbouringNorth Macedonia.[11]
In spite of investments in heat cogeneration, overall efficiency of the power station remains relatively low, significantly contributing to the country'scarbon dioxide emissions. At the same time,air pollution byrespirable suspended particles andsoil acidification byNOx emissions remains high, in spite of moderate investments in filtering technology. Since 2001, NOx emissions of the Amyntaio power plant even significantly increased, reaching 2.5 kg/MWh in 2008, the highest value of all power plants in Greece. This is explained by the low and further decreasingcalorific value of the low-quality lignite of the Amyntaio coal mine,[12] which however has been found low insulfur[13] andmercury.[14]
After a pollutant emissions reduction plan as required byEU directive 2001/80 has been approved, the environmental permits of Amyntaio were renewed in 2008. With its lifetime being limited to 2023, the Amyntaio power plant however remains excluded from compliance with the stricter emission limits set by the EU directive 2010/75. Subsequently, neither the implementation ofdesulphurisation technology nor the replacement ofelectrostatic precipitators to reduce particle emissions is planned for this power plant, though preliminary studies have been completed.[15]
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,256,992 | 4,396,383 | 4,609,479 | 5,056,625 | 5,016,496 | 4,197,293 | 4,095,373 | |
| Data:European Commission, 2015[16] | |||||||
