Publications

Survey of Energy Resources 2007

Coal Country notes

Coal resources are all in the form of lignite. Apart from a very small amount of private mining, all production is carried out by the mining division of the Public Power Corporation (DEI). There are two lignite centres, Ptolemais-Amynteo (LCPA) in the northern region of Western Macedonia, and Megalopolis (LCM) in the southern region of the Peloponnese. These two centres control the operations of five open-cast mines; LCPA mines account for nearly 80% of DEI's lignite output. In 2005, LCPA produced 55.45 million tonnes of lignite, LCM 14.44 million tonnes.

A new 330 MW lignite-fired power station at Florina in Western Macedonia came into operation in June 2003. In the lignite-mining areas, there are now eight dedicated power stations (total generating capacity: 5 288 MW), which produce more than two-thirds of Greece's electricity supply. Greece is the second largest producer of lignite in the European Union and the 5th largest in the world.