DEPA, pivotal for Greek energy plan, pushing ahead internationally

Through its strategic involvement in an array of pipeline and infrastructure projects, Greek gas utility DEPA is becoming a key driver of Greece’s geopolitical upgrade and the diversification of supply sources for the wider region of South-East Europe.

DEPA is establishing its position in the region through a series of significant international projects such as the acceleration of IGB pipeline construction, participation in the IGI Poseidon pipeline  interconnecting Greece and Italy, and, surely, booking capacity in TAP which, from 2020 onwards, will transport Caspian gas to Europe.

Developments around East Med Pipeline are also rapid, with the most recent being IGI Poseidon’s (the 50% – 50% JV between DEPA S.A. and Edison S.p.A ) BoD decision to fast-track the completion of all pending stages that will bring the project to maturity.  The €70 million Feasibility Study is being accelerated, along with every other stage, to complete the East Med pipeline’s design, which will also pave the way for the final investment decision.

All the above are just one part of DEPA’s multifaceted international activity. Prior to that, in October, a bilateral agreement was signed in Sofia for the start of IGB pipeline construction, a project overseen by ICGB AD, in which DEPA has a 25% stake.

The project is expected to go into operation in July 2021, with an initial capacity of 3 billion cubic meters. At first, the entire load of gas will come from TAP that will go into operation within 2020, delivering Azeri gas to European markets, in which DEPA has booked capacity of 1 billion cubic meters. Thus, through IGB, the company will supply the Bulgarian market with Caspian gas, “breaking” for the first time the existing Russian monopoly.

Another major development took place just yesterday, when the company’s Board of Directors approved the participation of DEPA, with a 20% stake, to the equity of GASTRADE, the company developing the FSRU project in Alexandroupolis.

The Terminal is complementary to the IGB pipeline and consists of an FSRU (Floating Storage Regasification Unit), anchored 10 km off the coastal area of ​​Alexandroupolis, with storage capacity up to 170,000 cubic meters of LNG and 22.7 million cubic meters daily regasification capacity, per day (8.3 billion m3 / year), as well as a 28 km long onshore and subsea pipeline system.

The international presence of the company is also enhanced by the Greek-Italian energy interconnection through the IGI Poseidon pipeline, as well as the CYNERGY program that “breaks” Cyprus energy isolation by establishing a natural gas supply chain in the country.

Apart from its participation in international projects, equally important are the company’s long-term supply contracts with Russian Gazprom, Turkish BOTAS, Algerian Sonatrach, IGSC (Azerbaijan) through the TAP pipeline, as well as the procurement of significant quantities of LNG through the global SPOT market, at competitive prices.

DEPA’s CEO, Konstantinos Xifaras, summed up the company’s international role:

“For thirty years, DEPA has been a leading player in the Balkan energy sector, as well as an integral part of the European strategy for energy diversification and security of supply both of Greece and Europe.

At the same time, by deploying multilayered energy diplomacy and participating in major international projects, DEPA establishes Greece as a regional energy hub and upgrades its economic and geo-strategic importance.”

DEPA’s footprint is solid in the domestic energy market as well, where it recently prevailed in a tender process for natural gas supply to PPC in 2020. The company acknowledged as one of the two bidders, with the ability to supply PPC with 2 million MWh.

North Macedonia seeking bilateral gas interconnection agreement

The North Macedonian government, unperturbed by its recent setback for EU accession talks, is moving to establish a bilateral agreement with Greece for the development of a natural gas pipeline interconnection linking the two countries.

North Macedonia’s dampened EU membership aspirations emerged as an unfavorable development for the project, which has remained stagnant.

A handful of EU member states, led by France, recently blocked North Macedonia, as well as Albania, from starting EU membership talks.

The North Macedonian government has approved a proposal for the commencement of negotiations with Greece that would lead to a bilateral agreement for this gas interconnection project.

The interconnection’s pipeline would run 80 km from Gevgelija to Negotino on the North Macedonian side and approximately 60 km on the Greek side, according to a project location deemed appropriate by North Macedonian officials, Greek diplomats have informed Athens.

 

 

NSRF funds for gas network at €111m, Alexandroupoli FSRU on the cards

Gas network development projects for the expansion and upgrade of transmission and distribution infrastructure are included in the EU’s National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) funding program for a total of 111.2 million euros, a local authority has noted.

In addition, an NSRF funding application is now also being prepared for a prospective FSRU facility in Alexandroupoli, northeastern Greece, according to Panagiotis Korkolis, the secretary-general for public investments and NSRF funding.

Gas grid expansion and upgrade projects are being planned for central Greece, northern Greece’s central Macedonia and west Macedonia regions, eastern Macedonia and Thrace in the country’s northeast; as well as western Greece.

The country’s gas networks are an integral part of the country’s energy system, now headed towards digitization and an expansion of interconnections both within and beyond Greece, according to energy minister Giorgos Stathakis, in response to a related question in parliament from MPs of the centrist Movement for Change (KINAL).

 

Greek, North Macedonian operators working on gas, power links

Greek gas grid operator DESFA and its state-controlled North Macedonian counterpart MER plan to upgrade a memorandum of cooperation signed in 2016 for the construction of a 120-kilometer gas pipeline from Thessaloniki’s Nea Mesimvria area to the northern neighbor.

Heading a Greek delegation, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his North Macedonian peer Zoran Zaev have agreed to sign a series of bilateral agreements and memorandums of cooperation in Skopje today.

The project, to interconnect the Greek and North Macedonian gas transmission systems, is regarded as one of the most significant energy investments being prepared by the two countries.

It is planned to offer an annual transmission capacity of about 3 billion cubic meters and also enable an interconnection with the TAP route – to supply Azerbaijan gas to European markets via Greece – for a diversification of sources.

The DESFA-MER association promises to be further enhanced by the North Macedonian operator’s moves for gas system interconnections with Kosovo and Montenegro.

Subsequently, the Greek-North Macedonian natural gas pipeline, once constructed, promises to offer a new supply route to Balkan markets.

DESFA is preparing to stage a market test for the Greek-North Macedonian pipeline during the second half of this year, sources have informed.

Meanwhile, Greece’s power grid operator IPTO and its North Macedonian counterpart MEPSO are discussing preliminary studies intended to lead to an upgrade of electricity interconnections between the two countries.

International interconnection projects meeting in Athens next week

International interconnection projects will be the focus of a two-day EU meeting organized by RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, for October 25 and 26 in Athens.

European officials, including regulatory authorities, will gather in Athens to discuss the level of progress of regulatory revisions, needed to support the full development and proper functioning of natural gas interconnection projects in Europe. This is crucial for plans looking to achieve adequate natural gas supply in European markets.

With this in mind, European regulatory authorities are currently focusing on efforts to implement European-wide distribution and balancing codes. Harmonious integration in this department promises to facilitate trans-boundary investments in energy infrastructure projects.