A tender for the conversion of a depleted natural gas field in the offshore South Kavala region into an underground gas storage facility will be announced in the first half of 2020, according to privatization fund TAIPED.

The project, estimated to cost between 300 and 400 million euros, is needed for storage of strategic gas reserves.

Steps that will need to be taken in the lead-up to the tender have just been presented by the privatization fund’s administration, confirming that previous legal complexities have now been resolved.

Two steps are needed. A joint ministerial decision must be issued. Also, RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, needs to prepare a regulatory framework offering prospective investors a reliable estimate on earnings they should anticipate, necessary before any binding bids can be submitted.

France’s Engie as well as Energean Oil & Gas and GEK-Terna have formed a three-member consortium named Storengy in anticipation of the tender. DESFA, the gas grid operator, is also expected to participate in the tender.