A. Sdoukou: The country is moving at high speeds and safely to become an energy hub in SE Europe

Energy infrastructure in Greece, the need for more “green” energy, the role of natural gas in the energy transition and the spike in energy prices in Greece and worldwide, were at the center of the discussion during the 2nd day of the 5th Infrastructure & Transport Conference – ITC 2022, organized by the news websites ypodomes.com and metaforespress.gr.

The special session was attended by Alexandra Sdoukou, Secretary General of Energy, Costas Xifaras, CEO of DEPA, Maria Rita Galli, CEO of DESFA, Christos Nichorlis, Deputy General Manager of TUV AUSTRIA Helias, and Director:

A. Sdoukou: The country is moving at high speeds and safely to become an energy hub in SE Europe

The Secretary General of Energy, Alexandra Sdoukou, stated that we now understand how risky it is for a country to base its energy on only one source. For this reason, the government is supporting the construction of LNG stations. He also referred to all major ongoing projects, such as international electricity interconnections and gas infrastructure. He stressed that “the country’s policy for security and diversification in energy, highlights its role in our region as an energy hub.”

K. Xifaras: The sufferings of our past became lessons

“Our country has gone through crises again and the lessons have become lessons,” said the CEO of DEPA, Costas Xifaras. “Our companies have made brave decisions to invest in infrastructure,” he added, although some of these investments have been met with reservations. Such examples are the third tank in Revythousa, the additional FSRU station in Alexandroupolis and the IGB pipeline, which, as K. Xifaras stated, will be put into commercial use in July. “Already, the manufacturer, the company AVAX, informed us that the time has come for the mechanical completion of the project, so the administration will have to accept the statement next week. The hydraulic tests of the pipeline are over, we are in the phase of putting gas in “Commercial use of the pipeline is expected in June and July. It could be used for emergencies from mid-June. Bulgaria can thus get the majority of the Azeri gas for which it has a contract.”

Regarding energy prices, Mr. Xifaras argued that “people need to understand that energy costs money” and this is true even for RES, in which DEPA enters the sector in June.

MR Galli: Not only import infrastructure is needed, storage space is also needed

The need for energy import infrastructure to be accompanied by energy storage infrastructure was underlined by Maria Rita Galli, CEO of DESFA. “We must have an efficient network, not only of import, but also of storage. Greece has done a lot for import, but the system has reached the highest level of storage, what is happening now is that the system is under a lot of pressure because it is almost in “Maximum capacity. So we must see the development of satisfactory avenues of disposal of the quantities imported. The lack of storage space is a disadvantage for the system,” he stressed.

As M. Galli mentioned, for LNG there is not the same flexibility and for this it is also necessary to consider the issue of storage. “Everyone in Europe is aware of the importance of having underground storage, it is a very important decision that we have to make in the coming years,” he said.

Ch. Nichorlis: There are the right tools that achieve reduction of energy costs of companies

For his part, the Deputy General Manager of TUV AUSTRIA Hellas, Christos Nichorlis, referred to the energy costs and the tools available for a company to reduce production costs. In particular, he stated that “there is the right tool for proper energy management and this is the international standard ISO 5001 adopted by the international standardization organization. A company through the reduction of energy costs, can achieve reduction of production costs, enhance sustainability and reduction of the environmental footprint “.

D. Sarantopoulos: goal is to become independent from Russian gas, not from natural gas

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has drastically changed the energy map of Europe and what we knew until February 23, 2022, can no longer continue,” commented Dimitris Sarantopoulos, director of natural gas trading at IRON ENERGY. According to Mr. Sarantopoulos, “in this energy independence we must compare the energy realism, ie the cost dimension in this accelerating energy transition”. He acknowledged that “there can be no cheap energy” and added that “if we rush, we will force the market to make violent changes and violent changes are always accompanied by high energy prices, so the goal is to get rid of Russian gas.” “But not from gas. Hydrogen can not come tomorrow morning at a cheap price.”