ATHENS - Greece's economy will grow by an annual 1.5% rate in 2023, after expanding by 6.2% this year, as an ongoing energy crisis is seen keeping inflation at elevated levels, the country's central bank said on Wednesday.

In its interim report, the Bank of Greece kept unchanged its latest forecasts published in November.

"The prolongation of the energy crisis due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, which keeps inflation at very high levels, has weighed on business and consumer confidence," the report said.

This along with a more restrictive monetary policy is expected to lead to a slower economic growth in 2023, it added.

Greece's economy is seen growing by 3.0% in 2024 and 2.8% in 2025, helped by the start of several investment projects and continuing reforms, on condition that energy prices fall and tourism continues to perform well.

The country, which emerged from a decade-long financial crisis in 2018, is seen getting around 40 billion euros in EU funds and another 32 billion euros from the European recovery fund by 2030.

The government estimates that Greek economy will grow by 1.8% next year, down from 5.6% this year.

(Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas and Angeliki Koutantou; editing by David Evans)