- Due to delays, Greece’s Apollo programme, designed to support 400–500 MW of renewable energy with batteries for vulnerable households, lost €100m in EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funds.
- Battery costs now fall entirely on producers, raising auction prices and limiting the programme’s ability to cut energy poverty, though other parts of Apollo remain funded.
Greece has lost a €100 million European Union grant after the government failed to deliver the first phase of the Apollo renewable energy programme on time. This raises concerns about the initiative’s effectiveness in reducing energy costs for vulnerable households.
The Ministry of Environment and Energy launched Apollo in late 2023 to help vulnerable households cut electricity costs through renewable self-consumption. The plan targeted 400–500 MW of solar and wind projects with battery storage, with each of the country’s 13 regions scheduled to host a green power plant. The scheme promised participating households discounted bills through energy communities.
Furthermore, delays in securing battery systems derailed the program. Officials acknowledged that producers must now cover battery costs, likely pushing developers to submit higher bids in Apollo auctions. Industry experts warned that the added costs could trickle down to consumers and weaken the programme’s impact on energy poverty.
The loss of funds specifically affects households on special tariff A. The government still retains some RRF support for other vulnerable households, defined by different income brackets, as well as for municipalities, water utilities, and irrigation associations.
At the same time, Greece is racing to implement a separate €341 million RRF-backed initiative for standalone battery plants. Authorities already awarded 900 MW of projects through three auctions, and investors must confirm grid connection readiness this month to meet the end-2025 operational deadline. Developers have criticised slow licensing and supply bottlenecks and have asked the ministry for more time.
In July, the Ministry of Finance submitted a request for the sixth tranche of RRF funds worth €2.1 billion, after it claimed to have met 39 additional milestones. If Brussels approves the request, Greece will have secured €23.4 billion, or 65% of its total allocation under the facility.