Nikos Mantzaris, co-founder and energy policy analyst at The Green Tank, spoke to journalist Giorgos Psaltis on SKAI Radio about electricity prices, following the Prime Minister’s commitment, announced at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), to reduce electricity bills by 30% over the next three years.
First, he welcomed the government’s shift in narrative, noting that it now recognises the need to bring electricity prices down, after spending the previous months highlighting what it described as the country’s strong performance in this area.
He also expressed concern that neither the Prime Minister’s speech nor the measures outlined by the government’s economic team the following day made any reference to the need to reduce the use of fossil gas, which is the most significant factor driving up electricity prices. He explained that fossil gas is used not only to meet domestic electricity demand, but also to generate electricity for export, ultimately contributing to higher electricity prices in Greece.
The discussion then turned to the factors that could help bring prices down. Nikos Mantzaris highlighted the critical role of energy storage, pointing out that batteries can reduce renewable energy curtailments and lower the need for expensive fossil gas generation during peak hours.
However, unlike neighbouring Bulgaria, Greece has been very slow to deploy battery storage. As a result, during their first five months of operation, batteries reduced renewable energy curtailments by just 5% and fossil gas use by only 0.7%.
Finally, he stressed the need for greater competition in the retail electricity market and better consumer information about the different electricity tariffs available. He also highlighted the potential of smart meters and dynamic (“orange”) tariffs, which can offer consumers new ways to manage their electricity consumption and costs, but are still not being actively promoted by most energy suppliers.
Listen to the excerpt from the programme, broadcast on 8 September 2026, here.
