Halki the first GR-eco island of Greece: Greek-French “alliance” in the environment |

On Friday, November 5, the event of integration of the island in the national initiative GR-eco islands will take place in Halki, in the presence of the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Minister of Environment and Energy Costas Skrekas, the General Secretary of Energy & Minerals Alexos Alexandros of France to Greece Patrick Maisonnave and other official guests.

Halki becomes the first GR-eco island of our country and becomes a model island of energy transition. After the signing of the memorandum of cooperation, last July, by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Costas Skrekas with the Embassy of France in Greece, the South Aegean Region, the Municipality of Halki, PPC, the Siggelidis / Citroen Group, AKUO ENERGY GRE , OMEXOM / Vinci Energies, Vodafone Greece and ALD Automotive, the beautiful island of Dodecanese opens the way to the creation of GR-eco islands.

A strategic initiative of the Greek Government in the fight against the climate crisis, which aims to transform the Greek islands into international standards of green and sustainable development and hotbeds of innovation.

At the beginning of the new era for Halki, the individual projects and actions implemented by the participating companies in the Memorandum of Cooperation will be received.

GR-eco islands national initiative

The GR-eco islands initiative aims to transform the Greek islands into models of green economy, energy autonomy, digital innovation and ecological mobility. It includes actions such as the increased use of Renewable Energy Sources, the creation of digital infrastructure, the promotion of energy efficiency, the sustainable management of waste and water, the electrification of transport, the green transformation of agriculture and tourism and the development of port and other infrastructures, through targeted interventions and customized programs of the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the co-competent ministries, under the “umbrella” of the National Plan for Energy and Climate.

In the first phase, priority is given to the smaller, unconnected and remote islands, having highlighted a set of islands that meet population criteria, but also based on their plan of interconnection in the mainland system, their energy needs, tourist traffic and accessibility. . A key criterion will also be the commitment of each island to implement the planned interventions, depending on what is possible and technically and economically optimal in each case.

An important ally in the whole effort is the rich potential of Greece in environmentally friendly Renewable Energy Sources, ie the sun and the wind that will offer abundant clean energy. Together with the initiatives for more efficient waste management and green sea and road transport, the Greek islands will lead to the achievement of sustainable and balanced development and Greece in a leading position in the European goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030.

Halki in the era of sustainability and energy transition

The choice of Halki as the first GR-eco island has a very symbolic character, as it is an island in the barren line of the Southeastern Aegean, part of the Dodecanese, which holds significant geopolitical interest in the wider region. Halki is also under the protection of UNESCO as an International Center for Peace and Friendship. In addition, it aspires to function as a model for the energy transition of the Greek islands.

The play

The actions on the island of Halki include the installation of a 1MWp photovoltaic system, which will produce green energy able to meet the energy demand of the island’s inhabitants, through the method of Virtual Net Metering. Part of the project is the donation of six (6) purely electric vehicles, which will strengthen the fleet of vehicles of the Police and the Coast Guard, but also the Municipality, with the parallel placement of four (4) electric vehicle chargers in the port of the island. At the same time, public lighting will be upgraded with “smart” management systems. In addition, innovative telecommunications services and technology applications were developed to support e-learning, with the development of 5G infrastructure and broadband networks. In the framework of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions, the total amount of the donation to the residents and the Municipality of Halki amounts to 1.5 million euros.

Greek-French cooperation in the protection of the environment

The project is carried out under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the kind participation of the French Embassy in Greece. The South Aegean Region has undertaken to support the licensing process, while the Municipality of Halki has established the Energy Community with the distinctive title “ChalkiON”. PPC covered the cost of equipment for the construction of the photovoltaic station, while ensuring the transport of materials and chargers to the port of Halki. At the same time, PPC installed four charging systems for PPC blue electric vehicles on the island. Akuo Energy and Omexom / Vinci Energies were responsible for licensing, developing and constructing the photovoltaic park. At the same time, these two companies have undertaken the “smart” public and architectural lighting in the town hall and the tower with the old clock of the Municipality of Halki. Citroën and ALD Automotive offer as a donation the electric vehicles to the Municipality of Halki for the upgrade of the fleet of the Police and the Coast Guard.

In terms of digital infrastructure, Vodafone Greece has completed the upgrade of the island’s connectivity to 5G, implemented the provision of public, free wi-fi and provides Internet of Things (IoT) services in the municipality. At the same time, the Vodafone Foundation included Halki in the Telemedicine Program that it implements, so that the inhabitants of the island have free access to e-health services. In addition, the Vodafone Foundation created the standard STEM lab Generation Next especially for the school of Halki and offered the children of the island the opportunity to get acquainted with science and technology (STEM), as well as to take their first steps in programming in the context special program implemented in the summer.

In addition, a large part of the tourist maritime travel, especially during the summer period, will be carried out by the electric boat, sponsored by Papastratos, in the framework of the company’s initiatives to promote sustainable development practices. It is an electric boat that pumps its energy from the sun, through the built-in photovoltaic panels, as well as with direct power supply. Its design is based on traditional Greek architecture and the boating is done by a family business based in Patmos. The construction and equipment of this type of boat creates a positive economic impact for many small businesses that are entirely local, family and Greek. This electric boat is the epitome of the circular economy – it runs on green energy and is expected to boost the tourism economy by creating additional jobs.

AEGEAN contributes to the event, which will take place in Halki, with a new generation aircraft, which creates a 23% lower CO2 footprint per seat compared to the previous generation aircraft of the same type.

The benefits for the environment and the inhabitants of Halki

The local community will be at the forefront of the energy transition. The establishment of the Energy Community, in which the Municipality of Halki and all the inhabitants of the island can participate, is the first case of such a project in Greece. The production of electricity from the photovoltaic station will drastically reduce or even eliminate the competitive charges of the electricity bills of the consumers of Halki. This is becoming increasingly important, especially at a time when electricity costs have risen dramatically due to rising international fossil fuel prices. Through this action, all residents will be protected from current fluctuations in electricity prices and will not be affected by any price volatility in the future. With the completion of the project and the start of operation, the estimated annual savings in the electricity bills of the Municipality and the residents will amount to 180,000-250,000 euros (depending on the respective electricity prices). At the same time, the conversion of Halki into a green island will achieve additional savings of approximately 1,800 tons of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, thus contributing to the protection of the environment. Furthermore, the residents will have access to the 5G network, facilitating their daily life in the field of digital services.