A market test to be staged by gas grid operator DESFA to gauge the level of investment interest and need for a network capacity increase is imminent and could be launched as early as this week or, if not, by the end of the month at the very latest, energypress sources have informed.

DESFA has determined a gas network upgrade and capacity boost are needed as the continent’s efforts to end reliance on Russian gas supply are changing Europe’s energy map and reversing the flow of gas.

The developments have elevated the role of Greece as an important gas supplier to markets north of the country, meaning the country’s gas infrastructure needs to be upgraded in order to handle the increased gas quantities expected to flow through the country in a northward direction. In previous decades, natural gas, supplied by Russia, flowed from north to south.

When offering its approval of DESFA’s ten-year development plan, RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, requested a market test from the operator for the gas network upgrade plan.

DESFA, sources informed, intends to stage the first round of a market test for the project imminently, the aim being to complete this procedure by summer and follow it up with a second round of binding bids, which the operator wants completed by the end of the year.

DESFA plans to stage an international road show to attract investors and potential buyers, the sources noted.