Stassis in Davos: Energy and technological transformation

The PPC Group’s strategy for the energy transition and the transformation of the company’s business model was presented by the Group’s President and CEO, George Stassis, at the “World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026” in Davos, Switzerland, at a closed-door meeting of the “Coal to Clean” initiative on technological innovations to promote the energy transition.

“In Davos, we talked about cooperation. In the energy sector, it has to be practical. Governments provide the direction. Investors enable growth on a larger scale. Companies like PPC deliver — transforming ambition into innovative infrastructure that keeps economies running and creates growth.”

Stassis described the radical transformation of the PPC Group, which over the past six years has completely reshaped its energy portfolio, leaving behind lignite and turning to clean and flexible forms of energy. “PPC was a company in which lignite production accounted for approximately 35% of total energy production. By the end of the year, it will have completely left coal behind us,” emphasized the CEO.

This structural transformation took place in a relatively short period of time and was made possible thanks to two strategic choices: the Group is implementing one of the fastest decarbonization programs in Europe and at the same time is developing very quickly a holistic system of clean and flexible energy in Southeastern Europe.

PPC’s energy transition is not just about replacing lignite production, but about redesigning and creating new economic ecosystems. “Renewable energy sources are currently the most competitive way to produce new energy and can meet most of the demand. However, to fully exploit their value, they must be combined with flexible solutions, such as batteries, pumped storage, flexible natural gas units and stronger regional interconnections, where feasible,” Stassis explained, emphasizing that together, these solutions can ensure both security of supply and better prices and lead to decarbonization.

The exploitation of former lignite areas has become a key pillar of PPC’s strategy. According to Stassis, PPC’s former lignite areas are not “trapped” assets, on the contrary they are strategic advantages for the Group, as there are already ready-made networks, industrial land and specialized human resources there.