Small plants within EPA areas also eligible for cheaper gas

Small-scale industrial plants operating within three areas covered by the country’s gas supply companies (EPA) – wider Athens area, Thessaloniki, and Thessalia, in the mid-northeast – will now also have access to lower-priced gas as of November, through gas auctions staged by DEPA, the Public Gas Corporation.

The inclusion of EPA-covered small-scale industrial plants to the gas auctions comes as an addition to an amendment last week, enabling small factories located beyond the EPA areas to take part in the auctions for lower-priced gas supply.

The initial exclusion of EPA-covered small industrial plants from the auctions prompted a reaction from their owners.

“Did they forget about the small industrial plants within the wider Athens area? They, too, are in need of lower-priced gas at the DEPA auctions,” the head at a small industrial plant located in the wider Athens area told energypress. “Beyond that, there are far more small factories within the wider Athens area than there are beyond it.”

Prior to the revision, the lower-price gas auctions were limited to industrial plants consuming over 10 million cubic meters of natural gas on an annual basis.

DEPA is scheduled to stage a gas auction on October 15. Small-scale industrial plants will miss this round but will be able to take part in future auctions, according to officials at the Environment, Energy & Climate Change ministry. The revision needs to be approved by the country’s creditor representatives, or troika, currently in Athens for negotiations.

Thousands of smaller industrial plants in the wider Athens area, Thessaloniki, and Thessalia are expected to benefit from this revision.