HELLENiQ ENERGY: Solar Beacon of Complete Commitment to Change
Partnerships:
One of the leading energy groups in South East Europe, HELLENiQ Energy, formerly Hellenic Petroleum, undertakes activities spanning the entire energy value chain and is present across six countries. “As a regional leader in the energy sector, we play an instrumental role in driving the energy transition towards a low-carbon future,” the company pronounces, as it harnesses the best in renewables to empower tomorrow.
With its roots dating back to 1958 with the establishment of the first oil refinery in Aspropyrgos, Greece, Hellenic Petroleum was the result of a merging of several diverse assets in 1998. It has gone on to become one of the largest oil companies in Southeast Europe and gaining a prized spot amid the 2017 Top 100 Global Energy Leaders list, according to Reuters Thomson.
The Group’s Vision 2025 strategy is an ambitious plan that reflects a wholesale transformation for the company. Fully aligned with the targets set by the European Union to phase out conventional fuels and develop new, cleaner forms of energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it represents a vehicle for upgrading its operations and taking full advantage of the opportunities arising from energy transition.
“In a world that never stops changing, the new, increased energy demand brings new realities to life,” opens HELLENiQ Energy.
SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
The desire to rethink, innovate and incorporate has meant transition in the most literal sense for the company, Andreas Shiamishis, CEO, explains of the shift to HELLENiQ Energy, the new brand name both confirming the company’s history and forward thinking and promoting its vision for the future. “With a great sense of responsibility and a desire for creation, but also with the new revamped corporate image which gives us bright new perspectives, we fuel the future that we all deserve,” he asserts.
“We are diversifying our portfolio, and, through our successful integrated business model, we are embracing innovation and transformation across our entire value chain, to become sustainable.”
In this bid to transform the business towards a greener sustainable future, HELLENiQ Energy has placed green energy at the heart of its activities, taking initiatives to address the climate crisis and investing heavily in renewable energy sources. “Our transition to a carbon-neutral organisation has an impact on every aspect of our business,” the company recognises.
“Renewable energy sources like wind, water and sun will have a long-term impact on our industry. True to our Vision 2025, we are rapidly moving towards our goal of creating a diversified portfolio among our core businesses and growth in ‘new Energy’, and we are transforming ourselves, driven by sustainable growth.”
The vital steps already taken to redefine its strategy in the context of energy transition are accompanied by goals for further milestones in the years to come: reducing direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions by 50% before 2030 ranks highly, while a 1GW installed capacity from renewable energy sources (RES) targeted by 2025 and over 2GW at the turn of 2030 is backed by planned investment of 4 billion euros in this and other new energy forms.
SOLAR LANDMARK
HELLENiQ Energy’s solar power plant in Kozani, Western Macedonia is the largest double-sided solar farm in Europe and universally billed as a landmark project in Greece’s energy transformation, but also serves as a clear embodiment of the Group’s rapid transition into new cleaner energy forms.
It is presently the largest RES project in Greece and in the wider Southeast Mediterranean, as well as one of the largest photovoltaic parks in Europe, with a total installed capacity amounting to 204.3 MW. It is estimated that this will enable Kozani to generate 350 GWh per year, meeting the needs of 75,000 households through zero-emissions energy.
“Through the investment in a growing portfolio in the renewable energies sector, we have created a landmark project in the new energy era, showcasing in the clearest way our commitment to a better future,” HELLENiQ Energy states of the innovative facility housing more than 500,000 bifacial modules, able to produce solar power from both sides of the panel. This 130 million euro investment has empowered the community ant he region as a whole, and will continue to do so.”
“This project is a symbol of the green transition both inside and outside the Greek borders,” interjects Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “Greece will become a leader in the sector of Renewable Energy Sources and will adopt new innovative technologies, to convert green energy from a theoretical plan to an opportunity for development for our country.”
“This project demonstrates in practical terms our decision and commitment to respond, in a substantial way, to the new era of challenges,” rounds off Shiamishis of the project purchased from Juwi in 2020, with the German firm being the original developer of the scheme successful in a Greek renewable energy tender held in April 2019.
“We have set a strategic priority to create the HELPE of the next decades, overcoming any resistance to change, typical for large organisations with long and successful history.”
“We are accelerating energy transformation, supporting the transition to advanced, zero-emissions energy sources, while modernising at the same time our successful core business activity. I would like to thank everyone involved in the implementation of this project, which is now more important than ever in ensuring energy efficiency and consumer access to low cost and green energy.”
“We have made a big and important step towards energy transition,” concludes General Manager of Group Strategic Planning and New Activities, Mr. George Alexopoulos. “We continue towards a sustainable future for the planet, our children and us all.”