The CEO of state-run Public Power Corp. (PPC), the dominant electricity provider in the country, over the weekend offered assurances that the utility will not abandon the western Macedonia province in northwest Greece, speaking at a one-day seminar on the timely issue of weaning the country and PPC off the use of lignite.
Greece's major lignite pits, for decades part of a vertical monopoly allocated to PPC, are located in the region, especially in Kozani prefecture, where the utility's biggest production units are located.
PPC CEO and president Georgios Stassis promised, for instance, that the Ptolemaida 5 unit will remain in operation even after 2028, but with another fuel, such as biomass and photovoltaic parks.
Protest rallies took place outside the venue where the seminar was held in the industrial town of Ptolemaidia, with unions representing workers in the mining and electricity production sector demanding that the government back down from a pledge to stop using lignite to fire production units.
He also promised that the utility will meet its obligations to restore open pits and mine shafts to their natural state.
