Gas distributor DEDA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of DEPA, the public gas corporation, is preparing to hire additional technical personnel to support a natural gas network expansion plan in 18 Greek provincial cities, Stefania Mosse, the distributor’s CEO, told yesterday’s Power & Gas Supply Forum in Athens.

Though Mosse did not elaborate on how many new hirings would be made, nor when, she stressed the expansion plan requires a reinforcement of staff as the existing DEDA team, numbering 30 persons, does not suffice.

The network’s expansion is planned to cover three prefectures: east Macedonia-Thrace, central Macedonia, as well as a mainland area further south, in central Greece, comprised of Fthiotida, Boetia, Evritania, and the island Evia, slightly northeast of Athens.

Tenders for procurement and sub-contracts are a top priority for the board at DEDA, the aim being to begin work in the summer, according to an announcement released by the distributor in January.

DEDA’s overall network expansion plan entails network development measuring up to 1,130 kilometers and 30,800 new consumer connections by 2023. The project is budgeted at 172 million euros.