DEPA: New business plan with shift to CNG and LNG

A new business plan aimed at filling part of the gap in electricity generation created by the planned withdrawal of lignite plants by 2028, is adopted by the Public Gas Corporation (DEPA), as part of the broader program for rapid reduction of the environmental footprint.

In a statement, the company emphasizes that “the achievement of national climate targets goes through the replacement of” dirty “fuels, such as oil, fuel oil and lignite, by “cleaner” natural gas.

“Thus, natural gas will cover a large part of the gap in electricity generation created by the planned withdrawal of lignite plants by 2028, while expanding its use to more activities will lead to an even faster reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, with beneficial results for both the environment and the economy “, DEPA stated characteristically.

According to the new DEPA business plan, the goal is to extend the benefits of natural gas to more companies, households, industries, but also regions of the country, using smart technologies of compressed natural gas (CNG) and small scale liquefied natural gas (small scale LNG).

In this direction, the company recently launched the supply of a state-of-the-art greenhouse in Dimitra, Serres, with a CNG unit with a capacity of 5,000 Nm3 per day, while it is in advanced discussions with other industries for the construction of similar units.

In addition, DEPA is systematically developing a nationwide network of CNG service stations (FISIKON) diffusing and expanding gas flow throughout the country. Lately, in fact, the company is accelerating its pace in this sector, having already added 4 new gas stations (Evangelismos Larissa & Psathopyrgos Achaia), with another 4 (in Igoumenitsa, Kozani, Chalkida, Thessaloniki) to be built and put in operation within 2021, while another 12 are under development and are expected to be completed by the end of 2022, across the country.

But also in shipping, DEPA is leading the way, through the POSEIDON MED II and BlueHUBS programs, in creating an integrated LNG supply chain in the Eastern Mediterranean. For this purpose, the company is building an innovative LNG transport ship, with a capacity of 3,000 sq.m., the first of its kind, which will supply the ports and ships of the wider area, ushering Greek shipping to a new era.

The company has extensive experience in CNG and ss LNG technologies as it has been utilizing them for years on the islands of the country and in areas outside the network, breaking their energy isolation but also contributing to their countering their dependence on oil.

In the same context, DEPA is developing, in collaboration with DESFA and the Patras Port Organization, a small-scale liquefied natural gas unit and LNG bunkering in the port, aiming to supply not only the port, but the whole of Western Greece.