The General Secretary of Energy and Minerals, Alexandra Sdoukou and the General Secretary of Natural Environment and Waters, Petros Varelidis, participated in the 5th Round of Consultations for the Greek-German Action Plan at the level of General Secretaries, which took place today.
Alexandra Sdoukou presented the comprehensive plan of the Greek Government for the adequacy of supply and the strengthening of the country’s energy competitiveness, emphasizing that the independence of Europe from the imports of Russian gas, although it can not be realized immediately, is the only solution that will shield European energy security.
As he pointed out, “Greece can become an energy hub in Southeast Europe, support the countries of the wider region and contribute to their efforts to break free from Russian gas.” He stressed that energy independence is not only secured through the diversification of sources and routes of gas supply, but also -mainly- through the strategy of the Energy Transition and the promotion of clean energy technologies. In this context, he referred to the interventions that Greece has launched such as the simplification of the licensing process for new RES projects, the elaboration of the institutional framework for energy storage projects and offshore wind farms, the electricity interconnection of the islands and the massive energy upgrade program. building stock of the country.
Ms. Sdoukou expressed the strong interest of the Greek Government in exchanging good practices with Germany and attracting long-term investors who will contribute to the Energy Transition and at the same time create new, quality jobs, stimulate economic growth and build strong ties between of the two peoples.
He added that hydrogen production could play a key role in the Greek-German energy cooperation. The Greek Government is looking for opportunities to cooperate in the technological innovations that distinguish this sector, given the estimates that by 2050 12% of world energy consumption can be covered by hydrogen.
The Secretary General of Natural Environment and Water, Petros Varelidis, pointed out in his speech that tackling climate change is a key goal of the Greek Government. To this end, by the end of May he is expected to have passed the first Climate Law, the basic provisions of which he has outlined.
Regarding the package of legislative proposals to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030, the discussion focused on amending the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Mr. Varelidis recalled the reservations of Greece for the integration of the building sector and road transport in the ETS, due to the large fluctuations in the price of coal and its low predictability that make it difficult to assess the economic impact of the measure. He stressed that any inclusion of these two sectors in the ETS should be accompanied by measures to stabilize the range of coal price fluctuations in order to be able to take timely measures to mitigate the effects on vulnerable households.
Regarding the integration of shipping in the ETS, the Secretary General stressed the need for the obligation to cover the cost of coal to be borne by the charterer and not the shipowner, in order to ensure the optimal efficiency of the measure. Finally, he mentioned the need for the cross-border coal mechanism to address the issue of exports to third countries, so that European companies do not have a competitive disadvantage.
Source: Capital
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