The Efforts towards and Challenges of Greece's Post-Lignite Era: The Case of Megalopolis

Greece has historically been one of the most lignite-dependent countries in Europe, due to the abundant coal resources in the region of Western Macedonia and the municipality of Megalopolis, Arcadia (region of Peloponnese). However, a key part of the National Energy and Climate Plan is to gradually phase out the use of lignite, which includes the decommissioning of all existing lignite units by 2023, except the Ptolemaida V unit, which will be closed by 2028. This plan makes Greece a frontrunner among countries who intensively use lignite in energy production. In this context, this paper investigates the environmental, economic, and social state of Megalopolis and the related perspectives with regard to the energy transition, through the elaboration of a SWOT analysis, highlighting the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the municipality of Megalopolis and the regional unit of Arcadia. The analysis is based on four main pillars, namely "clean energy", "smart agricultural production", "sustainable tourism", and "other (e.g., industry, technology, and education)". The integration of the "Energy Efficiency First" principle, the mitigation of household energy poverty (especially in a region with district heating installations), and collectively driven energy actions for engaging and empowering younger generations (e.g., in the form of next-generation energy communities) are among the solutions that are expected to have a significant contribution towards Megalopolis' just energy transition.