Α “green” military Unit in Souda
Α “green” military Unit in Souda
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How far from “zero point” are we, eventually? How did we get to the point where climate change constitutes the greatest threat to humanity?
The scientific community agrees: Climate change is a profound crisis for humankind, the consequences of which are anticipated to be devastating.
That is why it must be tackled here and now, as this will determine the future of our society and economies. Europe now acknowledges that to cease being part of the problem, it needs to free itself from fossil fuels and move on to other structural changes in the next decade’s economy. This is the context, in which the ambitious European goals for climate neutrality by 2050 have been set; and this is the direction in which Greece is determined to move, taking action with greener policies.
For us in TERNA ENERGY, transitioning to a carbon-free future has been going on for 25 years during which we have systematically invested in the production of clean energy in Greece and abroad, while at the same time promoting a series of actions to address the climate change impact.
In this context, we decided to implement a particularly pioneering project in a traditional source of pollutants: to reform Souda Airport energy-wise to drastically reduce the plant’s environmental footprint. To this end, we are proceeding with a significant grant of 3.5 million euro.
The military airport of the 115th Battle Wing in Souda will be converted into a “green” facility, covering its needs 100% from Renewable Energy Sources. Thus, the 115 Battle Wing in Souda will be one of the world’s first facilities to receive the relevant certifications. At the same time, the annual benefit of the Unit’s complete exemption from the cost of supplying electricity and meeting heating needs will exceed 400,000 euro.
As pointed out by TERNA ENERGY’s Chairman, Mr George Peristeris, during the project’s official presentation in Crete in the presence of Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, “the project at Souda Airport is our Group’s endorsement in practice both of the Greek government’s efforts to meet its objectives for Green Development and of our country’s Armed Forces.
Our offer, totalling approximately 3.5 million euro, aims, on one hand, to drastically reduce the energy costs of 115th Battle Wing airport, saving around 400,000 euro per year, on the other, to zero carbon dioxide emissions from electricity and fossil fuel consumption.
In this way, the 115th B.W. airport will make a substantial contribution to tackling the phenomenon of climate change, while equipping itself with state-of-the-art intelligent energy management systems, without reducing its operational capabilities in any way. Souda Airport will be one of the first in the world to receive the Net Zero Energy Airport and Net Zero Carbon Emissions Airport certifications.”
TERNA ENERGY will fully cover the cost of the design, planning and construction of all required projects to:
A. Turn the 115 Battle Wing (Souda) Airport into a Net Zero Carbon Emissions facility.
B. Meet all needs for electricity, heating and cooling of the facilities at the military airport in Souda, 100% from Renewable Sources (Net Zero Energy Airport) and “electrify” transport within the airport.
In particular, the proposal provides for:Installation of solar thermal systems and heat pumps in buildings to meet the Unit’s thermal needs from RES and the change of used fuels from minerals to green electricity. Today the cost for the purchase of heating oil exceeds 100,000 euro per year.
