Mitsotakis visit to Sunlight facilities and Thrace greenhouses

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited at noon the industrial complex for the production of batteries and the development of energy storage technologies of the Sunlight Group, in Xanthi, and the hydroponic cultivation unit of horticultural products of Greenhouses of Thrace.

“I had the opportunity to see a small part of a huge production unit, which is at the peak of innovation. I am especially happy when I see Greek companies that stand out abroad, are dominant in the specialized markets they have chosen, can and do attract top-level human resources”emphasized Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed to the employees of the Sunlight Group.

“One thing I want you to know: we will do our best to ensure that such business initiatives receive the maximum possible European support. There are, as you know, important financial tools, but there is also the willingness of the Greek Government to support innovation, extroversion. Companies such as Sunlight, which may export a final product to more than a hundred countries, are already importing human resources, repatriating young people who left abroad during the crisis years and now realize that they can return to our country, to great jobs, well-paid jobs and to be able to create in their place, without necessarily having to go abroad to be able to have a good career path”added the Prime Minister.

“The Renewable energy sources they can only make a big difference if we break – if we rather break – the Gordian bond of energy storage, because obviously we don’t have sunshine all the time and it doesn’t blow every day. So energy storage becomes crucial to increase the penetration of RES in the electricity generation mix.

This concerns large RES installations, but it also concerns households. And I want to emphasize that we, in the new “Photovoltaics on the Roof” program, are now subsidizing exactly the energy storage systems that Sunlight manufactures. That is, for the household to have the possibility not only to install a photovoltaic system, but also to be able to store energy, which is so important for the overall stability of the system.

So you are at the forefront of innovation. Yesterday I had the opportunity to present our plan for the Greece of the future. I spoke about green and digital Greece, as I perceive it. For a country that will soon produce 80% of its electricity needs from RES. It is a policy in which I personally believe very much. It is a policy in which we can become protagonists. But we don’t just want to be a protagonist in generating electricity from the sun and from the wind, I want to be a protagonist in the whole supply chain. To be able to develop domestic know-how”, Mr. Mitsotakis also pointed out.

The Prime Minister was informed about the plans to expand Sunlight Group’s factory capacity, about the verticalization program through the production and recovery of lithium elements in Greece, but also about the wider activity of the Group in northern Greece, where it operates a battery recycling center in Komotini and a production unit of industrial materials in Kilkis.

The Prime Minister was taken on a tour by CEO Lambro Bishala to the lead-acid battery manufacturing facility, the world’s largest, and then to the state-of-the-art lithium battery manufacturing facility. The importance of emphasizing research and development, especially in cutting-edge technologies such as the development of efficient energy storage systems, which, among other things, will catalyze the green transition and drastically increase the ability of renewable sources to meet the needs of households and businesses was highlighted.

Mr. Bisalas informed Kyriakos Mitsotakis that the Sunlight Group has five centers dedicated to research and development, where more than 200 employees are employed. He emphasized that the Group exports Greek know-how and innovation to more than 115 countries, while holding a strong position in the market of electric industrial vehicles and project vehicles, electric wheelchairs intended for entertainment and energy storage units.

The Prime Minister had the opportunity to talk with workers, many of whom returned to Greece from abroad because of the work opportunity they found. In this context, the importance of creating well-paid, highly skilled jobs was highlighted in order to reverse the brain drain and for workers to share in the benefits of development.

At the Xanthi Greenhouse unit, the Prime Minister was informed about the method of hydroponic cultivation of quality agricultural products through the utilization of geothermal energy from the New Erasmion fields.

As noted, the unit has almost zero environmental footprint, despite being the largest greenhouse of its kind in Southeast Europe, as it uses no “chimneys” while consuming almost 90% less water compared to conventional growing methods.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis was informed about the plans to expand the greenhouses by 130 acres by 2026, an investment of 14 million euros. The company’s contribution to the local community and the labor market was also highlighted, as 230 people are employed in the Xanthi greenhouses and at least 130 additional hires are planned over the course of four years.