Aerial view of Lignite Mines - HD Bildbanksvideo

Aerial view of Lignite Mine in western Macedonia near the city of Ptolemaida. PPC has mining areas adjacent to many of its power plants. Some of these power plants produce electricity and power from lignite, while other plants use coal. The largest mining areas are located between Kozani and Ptolemaida, around Amyntaio in the Florina prefecture and around Megalopolis.PPC lignite mines in Ptolemais provide lignite for power generation, which is the most important energy source for the Greek economy. The electrification of the country has depended on lignite since the establishment of the Public Power Corporation.Lignite is found in great abundance in the Greek subsoil. In terms of lignite production, our country ranks second in the European Union and sixth worldwide. Based on total deposits and the anticipated future rate of consumption, it is estimated that the domestic lignite reserves will last more than 45 years.To date, a total of 1.3 billion tons of lignite have already been mined, while exploitable reserves total approximately 3.1 billion tons. In 2006, a total of 62.5 million tons were mined, a record since the commencement of the mines' operation.Today, the 8 PPC lignite power plants represent 42% of the country's total installed capacity and generate nearly 56% of the country's electrical energy.