The president and CEO of PPC Group focused on the importance of new partnerships between the countries of Southeast Europe and the USA, as a necessary component for energy security in Europe but also for affordable energy prices, as well as the important role of PPC in the wider region , Giorgos Stassis, in his speech at the 8th Southeast Europe Energy Forum today, in Thessaloniki.

“Building a secure energy system in our region requires strong partnerships, and cooperation between Southeast Europe and the United States is critical. In this new age, it is not a call for protectionism. It is a call to create new partnerships,” he said. “At PPC we are committed to being a force of stability, while at the same time leading the energy transition forward” he added.

Mr. Stassis referred to the double challenge that the energy sector in Europe has to face: On the one hand, there is energy security, which is under pressure from the two ongoing geopolitical crises in the wider region. On the other hand, there is the “climate and energy crisis”, as he described it, with extreme heatwaves that are now creating needs for cooling further and further north in Europe, and pressure on water reserves. These two challenges, according to the PPC president, are inextricably linked, they are two sides of the same coin. “It’s about how we secure energy for our industries and households, while ensuring a planet we can all live on.”

Referring to the issue of energy prices, the head of PPC Group emphasized that energy security has a high cost which is an important issue for Southeast Europe. The solution is Renewable Energy Sources, but key to their successful development is flexibility. “Flexibility comes both from energy components such as batteries, pumped storage, natural gas plants, and from resilient networks, including both national grids and interconnections between countries.”

In this context, Mr Stassis pointed towards a common regulatory environment. “Regulatory alignment between our countries is of the utmost importance as it will eliminate price discrepancies and unlock future growth.”

In this complex and fluid environment, he added, PPC’s role is more than just an energy provider. PPC knows how to quickly develop clean and flexible installed capacity, how to expand and modernize networks and how to meet the needs of customers in the new conditions at affordable prices.

“We also know the importance of partners and, in general, what it takes to make the energy transition, while ensuring energy security” added Mr. Stassis and continued: “This is our mission and the main driver behind all our decisions. Decisions like our investments in Alexandroupoli, an area that is becoming of utmost importance for Europe’s energy security. And our investments and acquisitions in the wider region which have made us the largest energy group in South East Europe with a diversified portfolio of assets and services.”