Public consultation opened on environmental impact studies of geothermal sites in Greece
View of Chios Island from sea (source: brendan aanes, CC BY-SA 2.0 
Carlo Cariaga
20 May 2026
YPEN has opened a public comment period on environmental impact studies of geothermal exploration sites in Greece to aid creation of a development framework.
The Directorate of Development and Policy, Geothermal Department of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (YPEN) of Greece has opened a public comment period on the environmental impact studies of seven geothermal research and exploitation sites. The public comment period will close on 10 June 2026, after which the finalization of the licensing framework will follow and will be the basis of the next geothermal investments in Greece.
The Strategic Environmental Impact Study (SEIS) documents and corresponding map files can be downloaded via this link.
The documents concern seven distinct geographical areas in Greece that are of particular geothermal interest. The seven areas are as follows:
- Central southern part of the Strymon River Basin
- Akropotamos, Kavala
- Western part of the Nestor River Delta Basin
- Evros River Delta Basin
- Samothrace Island
- Southern part of Chios Island
- Sperchios River Basin
The process also serves to provide visibility of the environmental conditions and other relevant parameters of potential geothermal development sites to help companies make critical investment decisions. The agency stresses the importance of formulating a comprehensive support framework for geothermal development to avoid a repeat of the 2023 geothermal tender which failed to attract any substantial interest.
The business sector has appealed for two measures to invest in geothermal in Greece – a targeted support or subsidy scheme to reduce exploration risk, and guaranteed access to the electricity grid for geothermal power. Until such institutional and financial frameworks are finalized, investment interest for geothermal development in Greece will remain limited.
Source: YPEN and Oryktos Ploutos
