Pumped Hydro Storage (PHS), as it is in general accepted, constitutes the most technically mature and economically competitive electricity storage technology. The operation concept is simple and it is practically based on the electricity storage in the form of mechanical energy (potential gravitational energy), with water as the working fluid. Practically it is implemented with two water reservoirs located in sites with different absolute altitudes between them, connected to each other with pipelines. When there is the need for electricity storage, electrically powered pumps are supplied with the electricity surplus and water is lifted from the lower to the upper reservoir. When there is the need for power injection in the electrical grid, the stored water is released from the upper reservoir and through the pipelines it is led to a hydro power plant, where electricity is produced by hydro turbines. Until today, 85 GW of PHS plants have been constructed and operate, while, until 2030, additional 105 GW are expected to have been integrated.
Crete constitutes an ideal geographical space for the development of PHS plants. A highly favourable location is found at the Eastern Messara valley in the Prefecture of Heraklion, where the available land terrain morphology at the stream of “Anapodari” offers an ideal location for the construction of a gravity dam and the configuration of the lower reservoir of the PHS plant. Depending on the dam’s height, the achieved lower reservoir’s storage capacity can exceed 20 million cubic meters, which, in parallel with the PHS plant, can also be used to serve the irrigation needs of the area. The upper reservoir can be constructed in one of the neighbouring tops at the Eastern Asterousia mountain. According to the first preliminary calculations, the nominal capacity of the specific PHS plant can exceed 50 MW, with a set-up cost at the range of 150,000,000 euros.
Minoan Energy Community has establish a close communication with the Regional Authority of Crete, the hosting Municipality of Minoan Pediadas as well as the neighbouring Municipalities of Viannos and Archanon - Asteroysion, for the beginning of the study and the licensing of the project.
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