Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis attended a ceremony on Friday (28/08) marking the Wonderplant company’s investment in Ptolemaida. In his address, Mitsotakis stressed that “anyone who tells you that Western Macedonia can return to lignite is lying. We have shifted to renewable energy sources and natural gas.”
The Prime Minister also stated that “we will mobilize all available resources to support Western Macedonia through this difficult transition,” adding that “many investment plans are being implemented, creating numerous jobs.”
“We will create more jobs than those that were dependent on lignite. Today’s investment moves in exactly that direction.” Regarding the special spatial planning framework for industry, Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted that it was the result of extensive consultation with the Greek business community — a deliberate choice by his government to support industry, manufacturing, and outward-looking economic growth.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Ptolemaida
Wonderplant is the investment set to pave the way for hydroponic greenhouses in post-lignite Ptolemaida, with full operations targeted by the end of 2027 and 300 employees on staff.
The investment, worth approximately €130 million, is being developed across 300 acres of the former Ptolemaida lignite field, with the goal of becoming fully operational by end of 2027, provided there are no bureaucratic delays. The project involves the development of state-of-the-art hydroponic tomato cultivation greenhouses, targeting an annual production of 20,000 tonnes of fresh table tomatoes. It also includes a High-Efficiency Combined Heat and Power (CHP) unit with a total capacity of 30 MW. The project is being implemented with support from the Just Transition Development Programme, through which it will receive public co-financing of approximately €63 million.
