Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy Alexandra Sdoukou stressed the importance of proactive measures ahead of winter, when demand is seen higher, during the Conference of the Central and South-Eastern European Gas Connectivity (CESEC) Initiative, held in Budapest.
Sdoukou participated in the conference representing Environment and Energy Minister, Theodore Skylakakis.
She explained that the measures were asked in order to avoid the phenomenon of extreme increases in electricity prices while also providing flexibility to the member states to support consumers and businesses.
The deputy minister underlined that it is important to determine the exact causes of the crisis recorded in the summer, adding that clear answers have not been provided.
She called upon the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators to prepare a relevant study and present its results at the next Council of Ministers in December. She stressed that the extreme increases cannot be interpreted in terms of higher production costs and pointed out that it is important to send a signal to the markets that there are tools to be used to prevent it from happening again.
Moreover, she emphasized the readiness of the Greek energy system for the winter, in view of the expiration of the natural gas transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the important steps that Greece is taking in the fields of demand response and electricity storage, alongside the development of RES.
Hydrogen Market
Regarding the hydrogen sector, she stressed the importance of creating a relevant market in SE Europe, which presupposes – among other things – the identification of hydrogen production points and the needs for its transport infrastructure.
