The possibility of being positively surprised by the “front” of energy prices in the coming period was pointed out by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Thodoros Skylakakis, speaking today at the Economist conference, citing the high reserves of natural gas in Europe’s underground storages, the availability of liquefied natural gas and good weather conditions.

He added, however, that if the crisis in the Middle East expands then there will be a negative surprise, while to a question about aid to consumers he referred to announcements next week that will target vulnerable financial and energy households.

He also noted that if there is a crisis of high prices for a long time, “the government reserves the right to intervene in a second year”.

Mr. Skylakakis presented the energy sector investments that are underway, such as the floating liquefied natural gas station in Alexandroupoli, (noting that we are open to creating additional LNG entry points to reduce dependence on Russian gas for both Greece as well as for the neighboring countries), the researches for hydrocarbons, the electrical interconnections of Greece – Cyprus – Israel and Greece – North Africa and the offshore wind farms for which also announcements will be made next week.

The US ambassador in Athens George Tsunis he praised the role of our country in the energy supply of the countries of the region after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“The West has failed the Balkans, we promised a lot and did little. We must invest in the Balkans and integrate them into Europe. Greece is called upon to play its leading role in SE Europe”, stressed Mr. Tsounis. Reverse flow in Greek-led gas pipelines will ensure energy flows to Ukraine, he said. He also announced the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the US Aid organization and Greece for the electricity sector in the region. The Secretary General of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Tax, Osama Mombarez, underlined the need to exploit the region’s energy resources for the benefit of citizens.

The managing director of the Poseidon pipeline, Fabrizio Mattana, emphasized that the region currently lacks the interconnection of the Eastern Mediterranean with Europe through Greece, as well as that speed is needed in the utilization of natural gas in the region and diversification of supply routes.

DESFA CEO Maria Rita Gali underlined the high interest of foreign companies in using the Greek natural gas system to supply countries in the region such as Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine and Moldova. He also announced that yesterday the final investment decision was made for the construction of the pipeline to North Macedonia, the construction of which will start next year.

The president of SolarPower Europe and European head of Enel Green Power, Aristotelis Hadavas, emphasized that renewable sources ensure energy independence and low energy costs, while he called for the prioritization of investments in storage units and the upgrading of old units (repowering).

The CEO of the Greece-Africa Power Interconnector, Andreas Borgeas, who is promoting a second proposal for a Greece-Egypt interconnection, said that multiple electricity transmission routes are needed from North Africa to Europe as “you cannot have a one-lane highway ».

Mr. Giorgos Satlas, a member of the management of the Greek-Bulgarian natural gas pipeline, stated that in its one year of operation, the pipeline proved to be an example of bilateral cooperation and covered more than 50% of the neighboring country’s energy needs.

The managing partner of the law firm Metaxas and associates, Antonis Metaxas, finally emphasized that extraordinary phenomena are now the new normality, that in the development of offshore wind farms, competition and the entry of new serious players must be strengthened and he praised the announcements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for what program forest management.