The plenary
of the Greek Parliament has ratified four leases that grant the right to
explore and develop Greece’s oil and gas resources, the Environment and Energy
Ministry said on February 28. These contracts relate to offshore Block 2 in the
Ionian Sea and onshore blocks in Arta-Preveza, Aitoloakarnania (Central Greece)
as well as the Northwest Peloponnese.
“With a
serious methodical approach, sobriety, transparency, and a special focus on the
strict protection of the environment, we are proceeding step by step to take
advantage of all the existing development possibilities in the hydrocarbon
sector,” Greece’s Environment and Energy Minister Giorgos Stathakis told the
plenary.
The
contracts that were ratified, the Minister stressed, have attracted the interest
of international energy groups that include France’s Total and Italy’s Edison.
At the same
time, US energy giant ExxonMobil has expressed interest in exploring another
area of the country, the island of Crete, which is expected to start
immediately.
The lease
for Block 2 in the Ionian Sea, with Total, Edison, and Hellenic Petroleum, will
be used as a blueprint for future agreements to be signed in Greece, the Greek
Environment and Energy Ministry said, adding that Strategic Environmental
Impact Study explicitly excludes Natura sites and requires a safety zone of one
kilometre.
https://www.neweurope.eu/article/greece-approves-delayed-hydrocarbon-exploration-contracts/