The first exploratory drilling in the area around Crete may be held in 2025, giving an initial indication of the potential hydrocarbon deposits, Deputy Environment and Energy Minister Alexandra said at the Athens Energy Summit.
The final decisions of the participating companies are awaited, she added.
She also described the interest of the US companies Chevron and ExxonMobil, which are active in the field of exploration in the country, as of strategic importance.
Regarding the reports of a change in energy policy after Trump’s election in the US, Sdoukou said that there is no change in the position of the Greek government, which has always said that natural gas is needed as a fuel – a bridge to decarbonization and as a factor in containing the cost of the energy transition.
Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) Country Representative Manager Greece, Ioannis Maris, said that from 2026 the pipeline’s transport capacity, which is currently 10 billion cubic metres per year, will increase by an additional 1.2 billion cubic metres. He added that a new market test is underway, repeated every two years, for possible further expansion. The pipeline transports natural gas from Azerbaijan through Turkey and Greece to Europe and has been operating since 2020, covering 18% of Greek natural gas imports, while from 2022 it has been supplying Bulgaria – through the interconnection of the Greek-Bulgarian pipeline – with 800 million cubic metres per year.
The Chief Strategy & Development Officer of the National Natural Gas System Operator (DESFA), Michael Thomadakis, also stated that discussions are underway with the respective administrators at the northern borders in order to develop the required infrastructure for the transport of natural gas through Greece to the North and West, as well as to the North Africa, for cooperation in the transport and storage of carbon dioxide.
