We recently had the opportunity to share our story and vision in a revealing interview with Protothema – Business Stories.
Lambros Makrykostas and Dimitris Makrykostas spoke with Mr. Stavros Grimanis about the company’s journey, its position in the energy market, and its future goals.
Establishment of the Company
SynEnergy Advisors is the first specialized consulting and engineering company in the field of energy interconnections.
It was founded in 2017 by the Makrykostas family, building on more than 10 years of experience in the study sector.
Today, Lambros Makrykostas, along with the children of his late brother Kostas Makrykostas – Dimitris, Anna, and Alkinoos – continue to realize the family’s vision, offering high-level services and innovative solutions in the energy sector.
Our Services
"SynEnergy Advisors provides comprehensive solutions for electrical energy transmission and management projects. We support our clients from the initial feasibility study and exploration of implementation possibilities through to the final application design of energy projects connected to the national grid. We specialize in studies for the interconnection of energy projects, handling studies for high, extra-high, and medium voltage transmission lines, as well as substations."
Our Experience
With two decades of successful operation, SynEnergy Advisors is a reliable partner for energy project interconnections.
"Over the past five years, we have undertaken and completed more than 120 projects. Each project presents its own challenges and specifics. For instance, the diverse technologies for electricity generation (renewable energy sources, thermal power plants, pumped storage projects), various final connection offers from the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO), and the geographical peculiarities of Greece make each project a unique case with new challenges. In our field, 'copy-paste' is practically impossible, which is why the role of an experienced engineer is crucial for the success of each project."
SynEnergy Advisors stands out as the only specialized engineering company in the field of energy interconnections, ensuring integrity, transparency, and impartiality for our clients.
"Our competitive advantage lies in the expertise and scientific training of our team, as well as the advanced technologies we use. We have developed and continually evolve our own specialized software, and for each project, we provide high-precision topographic surveys using LiDAR technology. Furthermore, our productive collaboration with IPTO continuously enhances the quality of our services. These features enable us to offer our clients the best alternative solutions, which is reflected in the wide recognition and trust we have gained in the market."
The Energy Market Today and SynEnergy Advisors’ Position
The main issue in the energy market in the near future will focus on managing surplus energy.
The question now is not where to produce energy, but where and how to allocate it.
This is particularly significant given that the energy demand in Greece is not expected to increase substantially, even after the interconnection of the islands with the mainland, while the country also faces demographic challenges and a lack of large industrial units.
"As a primary method for managing energy surplus, we consider energy storage systems (batteries, pumped storage projects) which contribute to optimal network management. Additionally, exporting energy through cross-border transmission lines, such as the Greece-Cyprus-Israel interconnection and Greece-Central Europe link, is a decisive step for utilizing energy surplus. In conjunction with exports, an interesting proposal would be for our country to leverage the produced energy by boosting, for example, the tertiary sector with energy incentives."
"Our country is in a favorable position regarding its renewable energy potential. However, the rate of deployment of renewable energy projects outpaces the development of projects that would increase energy demand, such as the interconnection of the Greek islands, network upgrades, international connections, and the integration of energy storage systems. This creates obstacles in energy distribution, particularly during peak production hours, resulting in curtailments and negative prices."
"The development of transmission and storage networks, even at a local level, plays a crucial role in energy security. To some extent, it is reasonable for the development pace of these networks to be slower due to their greater complexity. Nevertheless, we can confidently say that investments are progressing at an unrelenting pace."
Our Future Goals
Our plans for the future focus on enhancing Greece’s energy interconnections and capitalizing on our significant experience to expand our activities abroad.
"Currently, we are working on projects such as the interconnection of the pumped storage unit in Amfilochia, classified by the EU as a project of common interest, and the interconnection of the CCGT natural gas plant in Alexandroupolis. However, we do not rest on our laurels. We continuously strive to improve our capabilities and effectiveness in meeting our clients’ needs. One of our goals is to realize Kostas Makrykostas’ vision of connecting the Peloponnese with mainland Greece via a Central Transmission Corridor, which will include an overhead and underwater 400 kV transmission line. At the same time, we aim to leverage our valuable experience to intensify our international activities. Finally, we also plan to expand into the field of green buildings in the future."
