The green transition is a great opportunity for Greece to become an energy exporter and is directly linked to the energy security of our country, pointed out the Minister of Environment and Energy Theodoros Skylakakis, speaking today at the conference on “Energy Security and Green Development” organized by the ministry .

Mr. Skylakakis underlined that the country has huge wind and solar potential and the best potential in the Eastern Mediterranean in terms of wind quality in the field of offshore wind, which he described as a national goal of great importance. As he said, offshore wind farms are the key to the parallel development of large transnational interconnections such as the Greece-Cyprus-Israel electrical interconnection, which is very close to starting as the cable has already been ordered, as well as the interconnection with Egypt which must to continue with a direct connection to N. Europe.

As the minister said, the electrical interconnections and the development of the green potential are one aspect of energy security, the second is the liquefied natural gas infrastructures that ensure the supply of the country and neighboring countries with natural gas.

Mr. Skylakakis he also announced the activation of the Island Decarbonisation Fund which is estimated to have resources of €2 billion from carbon emission allowances, which will accelerate the green transition of our islands.

At the same conference the US ambassador George Tsunis he praised the progress of our country in the field of renewable sources noting that the country is in the top ten of the EU but also the assistance of Greece in the supply of Balkan countries during the energy crisis. He also spoke of the failure of the European leadership to foresee the dangers of dependence on Russian natural gas.

Norwegian Ambassador Lajla Brandt Jakhelln said that while Norway is at the forefront of RES, it has simultaneously increased, at the request of Europe, oil and natural gas production following the Russian attack on Ukraine. “We are facing a dilemma and energy security comes first. There are no easy solutions, we must proceed with the energy transition without shutting down hydrocarbon production,” he said. He also raised the need to take care of employment during the energy transition.