PM vows continued support against energy hikes

Ensuring that Greece secures adequate energy supplies to meet demand and keeping energy prices at affordable levels are the government’s top priorities right now, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday during a visit to the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal on the island of Revithoussa, west of Athens.

“We are working hard to achieve as low an energy price as possible for consumers, households and businesses,” he said.

The prime minister noted that the problem of skyrocketing energy prices does not have domestic origins and need to be addressed at the European level, but he added that the government will continue to support consumers regardless, even if the EU does not reach a decision.

To this end, he announced that subsidies for electricity bills will continue in May as well.

“We are facing an unprecedented situation with an explosion in the price of natural gas. This problem is imported. It is a problem that concerns the whole of Europe and, because of this, I have personally fought for a European-wide response to a problem that is not strictly national but European,” Mitsotakis said.

The prime minister sailed around the island and was given a tour of the facilities of the by the CEO of the Natural Gas Transmission System Operator (DESFA), Maria Rita Galli, where he spoke with staff and witnessed the operation of the terminal’s control center.

“I want Greeks to know that the government is ready to take significant additional measures so as to absorb as high a percentage of the increase in electricity bills as is possible and permitted by fiscal margins,” the prime minister stressed.

Mitsotakis was accompanied by Environment and Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas, who referred to past as well as infrastructure projects to be carried out in the coming months to increase the terminal’s capacity and ability to receive ships carrying LNG, stressing that this will also increase Greece’s energy autonomy.

According to Galli, DESFA is working “not only to guarantee 100 percent capacity at the terminal but to enhance this… as we are extending its capacity for regasification and to serve the needs of the market.”

Among others, DESFA is considering the additional of a floating storage unit to the existing facilities that will increase available capacity from 225,000 cubic meters to 380,000 cubic meters, while regasification capability will be increased by 12 percent. [AMNA]