Greece’s aging electricity grid blamed for disproportionate share of catastrophic wildfires

The 2026 wildfire season in Greece has already delivered some of the most destructive blazes in recent years. From late July into early August, a series of major fires – driven by extreme heat, hurricane-force winds, and dry vegetation – scorched large swathes of the country.

The most significant was the megafire that ignited on 31 July near Agios Vasileios in Boeotia and rapidly spread westward into Attica, engulfing the Porto Germeno area and surrounding communities including Psatha, Kandili, and Vilia. Satellite data from Copernicus EMS and the National Observatory of Athens showed more than 11,100–14,400 hectares burned within days, an area approaching or exceeding twice the size of Manhattan in places. The fire destroyed or damaged scores of homes and businesses, forced large-scale evacuations by land and sea, and claimed two lives when two firefighting helicopters collided mid-air over Psatha on 2 August (a Greek coordinator and a Danish pilot).

Almost simultaneously, a fierce blaze in southern Rethymno on Crete (around Krya Vrysi and Agia Galini) killed two firefighters, prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists, and burned an estimated 4,500–5,400 hectares of olive groves, farmland, and low vegetation. Additional deadly or high-impact fires struck the Peloponnese (including one firefighter death near Gytheio), Paros, and other regions. Cumulative estimates for the late-July wave alone exceeded 18,000–20,000 hectares according to WWF Greece and satellite assessments, while broader season totals reported by sources including Wikipedia and EFFIS-linked data reached beyond 30,000 hectares by early-to-mid August, with at least nine fatalities, dozens of injuries, and thousands displaced.

Preliminary findings from Greece’s Fire Service Arson Crimes Investigation Directorate indicate that faults in the electricity grid – primarily sparks from overhead lines – account for about 75% of the land burned in the country so far in 2026, even though such incidents represent only a small fraction of total fire starts. Similar patterns appeared in 2025, when WWF Greece data showed six out of ten major fires and 55% of burned area linked to the power network, and Fire Service figures attributed 15 of 41 major blazes (roughly half the destroyed land) to grid-related causes.

These fires often ignite under high-risk conditions – strong winds, elevated electricity demand, and dry vegetation in remote or forested zones – allowing rapid spread before firefighters can respond effectively. Experts point to loose or sagging conductors that clash in high winds, vegetation contact, dust buildup, inadequate insulation, and poor maintenance or construction quality — issues affecting both the public distribution network operated by DEDDIE (HEDNO) and private lines for renewable projects.

DEDDIE disputes the scale of the problem, stating that only about 1% of fire incidents (as opposed to burned area) were attributed to its network in 2025 – lower than the roughly 3% figure in the United States — and argues that “easy targeting” creates false impressions while diverting attention from other local responsibilities. The operator reports increased maintenance spending (to €165 million in 2024 from €122 million in 2019), vegetation clearance, and inspections. It also notes progress on undergrounding: the share of the distribution network buried rose from about 9% in 2021 to roughly 12–14% more recently, supported by EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funds, with annual undergrounding accelerating to around 1,800 km in recent years from far lower earlier rates. A multi-year development plan for 2026–2030 outlines nearly €4.8 billion in investments, including resilience measures, smart meters, and targeted undergrounding or relocation in high-risk forest areas.

Historical underinvestment and the pace of change

Greece’s grid is overwhelmingly overhead (around 90%), a legacy of cost-driven decisions dating to the 1960s expansion of electrification. The 2009–2018 debt crisis further constrained capital spending, leaving aging poles, lines, and equipment in place across fire-prone forests and depopulated rural zones. Full undergrounding of the medium-voltage network alone has been estimated at around €35 billion — an economically prohibitive figure that successive governments have treated as unrealistic without prioritisation of the highest-risk corridors.

Under the New Democracy governments led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (in office continuously since July 2019 and re-elected in 2023), investment has increased and EU recovery funds have been directed toward resilience, including underground cabling and substation upgrades. Officials, including Deputy Energy Minister Nikos Tsafos, have publicly attributed the accumulated gap to the pre-2019 crisis years and described current efforts as filling that deficit. Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou has announced plans to revise the “outdated” regulatory framework for private transmission networks after the recent wind-farm-linked fire.

Critics – including opposition parties, WWF Greece, former Fire Service officials, and local mayors – argue the pace remains too slow relative to escalating climate-driven fire risk. Warnings about grid-sparked fires have circulated for years; retired Arson Crimes unit director Christos Kalogeropoulos has noted repeated calls for urgent undergrounding. Accountability is often delayed or diffuse: court cases drag on, responsibility is shifted toward contractors or frontline staff amid staffing shortages, and detailed data sharing with independent researchers has been limited. Some fire-prevention elements reportedly faced cuts or delays in EU-funded programs. The expansion of renewables (wind and solar) has added private overhead segments that, when poorly constructed or maintained, introduce new ignition points without commensurate regulatory tightening until after major incidents.Political responsibility under prolonged New Democracy rule

After more than seven years in power, the Mitsotakis governments bear clear political responsibility for the residual vulnerability of critical infrastructure. While they inherited a chronically underfunded system and have accelerated certain investments, the persistence of grid-linked megafires – accounting for the majority of burned land in consecutive seasons – points to insufficient prioritisation of preventive modernisation amid known risks. Climate change has intensified heatwaves, drought, and wind events; available European funds and rising electricity demand from the energy transition provided both opportunity and urgency. Reactive measures (arrests, regulatory reviews, post-fire restoration funding) contrast with the slower systemic overhaul of vegetation management around lines, prioritisation mapping of high-risk corridors, and faster undergrounding or insulation upgrades in forest zones.

DEDDIE operates under a framework shaped by government policy and oversight; delays in closing regulatory gaps for private renewable connections and in enforcing rigorous maintenance standards fall within the executive’s remit. Full transformation will take decades and require sustained funding choices, but the disproportionate damage from preventable ignition sources underscores that earlier, more aggressive prioritisation of grid resilience could have reduced the scale of recent disasters. As investigations continue and the 2026 fire season proceeds, the gap between stated ambitions and outcomes on the ground remains a central test of governance effectiveness.

Edited by g.g.

Caption: A firefighting aircraft battles a wildfire in the Fichtia area of Argolida in the Peloponnese region, Greece, 31 July 2026. Residents were ordered to evacuate toward Argos as 42 firefighters, including two teams from the 9th Special Forest Operations Unit (EMODE), 12 vehicles, four aircraft and one helicopter battled the blaze with support from municipal water tankers and heavy machinery. A very high fire danger alert, category 4, was issued for areas affected by wildfires across Greece. EPA/BOUGIOTIS EVANGELOS