The energy transition narrative and its tools
The primary objective of this study is to provide a panoramic view and a shift in perspective—from the local context of Kavala and Thasos to a European approach to the issue. The CCS Prinos project[1] is not merely a local issue, but rather part of a pan-European strategy for decarbonization. It involves determining Greece’s position on this complex issue within the framework of a national development policy. If we continue to pursue a policy based on the idea of sacrificing our national land—with the goal of supplying clean energy primarily for export purposes, such as to data centers in the North, or burying CO2 emissions in our own backyard, it will neither produce nor create added value for our country.
The CCS project in Prinos is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader energy policy strategy aimed at transforming Northern Greece and the Northern Aegean into a major energy hub for Southeastern Europe. For the Kavala region, and Thasos in particular, this creates a tension between its role as an energy hub, the protection of the environment and the landscape, and the importance of tourism to the local economy.
The local economy depends heavily on tourism and the image of an unspoiled natural and marine landscape. For these reasons, the local community fears that this project will negatively impact the region’s appeal as a first-class tourist destination.
The following analysis provides an overview of Prinos’s work and focuses on the new relationship of interdependence between the periphery and the metropolis. In particular, we will examine certain key financial instruments created by the EU to implement the energy transition and reinforce this dependency.
Lambros Sakellariou
June 2026
