ATHENS – Ptolemaida V coal-fired power station in NW Greece received the first deliveries of lignite or brown coal from the Mavropigi and South Field coal mines on Friday, ahead of systems trials.

The newest unit at the station, Ptolemaida V is still under construction by the Public Power Corporation (PPC). According to plans, it expected to be converted so it could run on natural gas as of 2025, as part of Greece’s coal phaseout plans.

PPC head of the new unit Anestis Kefalas said that the new coal deliveries will be used “to test the systems of loading and transfer to the mills and furnace of the unit, to be followed by the testing of fuel ignition systems.” Lignite deliveries will increase gradually, as the Potelmaida V is expected to go into a trial operation by the middle of September. Kefalas added that according to the timetable, the new unit will be ready for commercial operation by December.

Ptolemaida V has a generating capacity of 660 megawatts and was built through Greek and German funding.