The executive chairman of Metlen, Evangelos Mytilineos, spoke ahead of Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the inauguration of Metlen Energy & Metals and the Karatzis Group’s standalone energy storage unit in Nees Karyes, Larissa, on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 14. In his remarks, he made no effort to conceal his satisfaction and pride in the facility, which is the largest of its kind in Greece and southeastern Europe — and one of the “largest in Europe,” as the Prime Minister noted.
Evangelos Mytilineos: More energy production, less vulnerability to international supply fluctuations
Evangelos Mytilineos underscored the value of domestic energy production as a defensive mechanism capable of absorbing market shocks. “The more energy a country can produce, the less vulnerable it becomes to international supply fluctuations,” he noted, adding: “The greater the share of renewable energy sources in the grid, the more valuable energy storage capacity becomes — allowing energy to be fed back into the system exactly when it is needed.”
“We cannot talk about energy security without investing in infrastructure that allows us to harness our own energy resources,” Mytilineos further stressed.
“Together with grids and interconnections, storage creates the conditions for a more flexible energy system — and that has a direct bearing on the cost of energy. This is one of the core challenges facing Europe, as the ambitious targets it has set require massive investment,” he added.
He then issued a direct call to action for Europe to step up on the competitiveness front. “These investments cannot happen simply because ambitious targets have been set,” he said. “If Europe wants to preserve and strengthen its industrial base, it must be able to offer its businesses access to predictable and competitive energy. What is needed are investments that allow demand to adapt to supply conditions.”
