TAP

Doubled TAP capacity by 2030, not 2027 as initially planned

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A Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) plan to double the pipeline’s capacity to 20 billion cubic meters by 2027 now appears likely to be delayed until 2030, Stefano Venier, CEO of Italian energy infrastructure company Snam, one of the TAP consortium shareholders, has indicated.

The ability to double the pipeline’s capacity depends more on the availability of gas in Azerbaijan than on demand, the Snam chief executive noted during a presentation of the company’s business plan until 2027.

The aim is to increase capacity gradually so that the pipeline can operate at full capacity sometime between 2027 and 2030, the latter being most probable, the official noted.

In previous announcements, the TAP consortium, in which Snam holds a 20 percent stake, had said the pipeline’s capacity would be doubled by 2027.

Participants in a market test being staged to measure whether demand is sufficient face a January 31 deadline to submit binding bids.

TAP, an 878-kilometer link crossing Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea to Italy, is developing from a pipeline of strong Italian and Greek interests to one with a crucial pan-European role as a result of the energy crisis of the last two years, a condition that has further highlighted the importance of energy security and gas supply, Snam noted.

 

Revythoussa LNG terminal still vital despite lessened activity

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Capacity increases at the TAP pipeline, facilitating the delivery of Caspian gas to destinations in Europe, and the IGB gas pipeline linking Greece and Bulgaria, plus the scheduled launch, early in 2024, of the Alexandroupoli FSRU at the country’s northeastern port, will lessen the number of LNG tankers delivering quantities to the Revythoussa LNG terminal, just off Athens, for eventual distribution to the Bulgarian market, but the terminal remains vital for Greece’s energy security and supply.

In addition, an agreement signed last January by Turkey and Bulgaria’s respective state-owned energy companies, Botas and Bulgargaz, for Turkish supply to Bulgaria of 1.5 bcm of natural gas, annually, over a 13-year period, also promises to further decongest activity at the Revythoussa LNG terminal.

The Bulgarian-Turkish agreement had prompted a number of questions in the domestic and European markets regarding its terms and conditions, as well as its impact on Greece’s gas infrastructure.

However, as was recently highlighted by Sotiris Bravos, Senior Commercial Services Manager at DESFA, Greece’s gas grid operator, the Revythoussa LNG terminal’s commercial role will only be limited in trade concerning the Bulgarian market.

In 2022, the Revythoussa LNG terminal covered two-thirds of Bulgaria’s natural gas needs, a performance not expected to be repeated this year given the increased number of facilities – TAP, IGB, and, slightly later on, the Alexandroupoli FSRU – serving the Bulgarian market.

Even so, the Revythoussa LNG terminal remains a crucial part of the country’s gas grid, especially regarding supply security and the grid’s balance, Bravos, the DESFA official, noted.

At present, the Revythoussa LNG terminal is Greece’s only LNG entry point and one of the country’s four natural gas entry points.

DESFA’s administration believes new gas infrastructure will not compete against the Revythoussa LNG terminal as it remains a facility of major importance for the Greek gas grid and the significantly increased needs of central Europe.

Ministry approves compressor station additions for TAP boost

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The energy ministry has approved a compressor station upgrade plan for Kipoi, northeastern Greece as part of a plan to boost the capacity of the TAP gas pipeline, facilitating the delivery of Caspian gas to destinations throughout southeastern, central and western Europe.

Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG, the TAP pipeline operator, has been granted a five-year license to expand the Kipoi compressor station facility through the installation of three new compressor stations, which will enable simultaneous operation of five gas compressors, with a sixth unit on standby.

The compressor station upgrade promises to offer an overall capacity of 90 MW, comprised of six 15-MW units.

Meanwhile, just days ago, gas grid operator DESFA launched a non-binding market test for the TAP gas pipeline’s increased capacity plan. Interested parties face an August 28 deadline to submit bids.

Major grid capacity reservation interest expressed at DESFA auctions

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Gas grid operator DESFA’s auctions offering grid capacity reservations, held last week, have confirmed an increase in interest from Greek and foreign companies, energypress sources have informed.

Capacity reservations for the Greek gas grid’s Sidirokastro exit point and Nea Mesimvria entry point – both are in the north – reached 98.5 percent and 100 percent, respectively.

The Nea Mesimvria entry point, it should be noted, is the interconnection point linking the country’s gas grid with the TAP pipeline for import of Azeri natural gas.

An auction is still in progress for the Greek grid’s Amfitriti entry point, in the northeast. Five rounds of auctions are being held daily, in accordance with EU rules. This ongoing procedure, sources noted, comes as confirmation of the heightened interest of users for this specific entry point.

The Amfitriti entry point is planned to receive natural gas from the prospective Alexandroupoli FSRU for transmission into the Greek grid before gas quantities are redirected north of the border, via the Greek-Bulgarian IGB pipeline.

Participants at DESFA’s auctions last week showed minimal interest for long-term grid capacity reservations. DESFA launched 15-year offers at these auctions. Most system users focused on agreements for the next gas year, covering October 1, 2023 to September 29, 2024.

DESFA market test for network expansion offers positive signs

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A market test staged by gas grid operator DESFA for a prospective expansion of the country’s gas transmission network has delivered positive first signs, attracting, according to energypress sources, a satisfactory level of participants for its first round of non-binding bids.

The market test is being conducted with the aim of shaping a list of projects to cover existing and future needs of gas network users, as the system’s capacity at present is well below levels required by current demand.

The process will be used by DESFA to gauge the level of interest of international and domestic players for the development of projects facilitating greater gas transmission within and beyond Greece.

The first round of the market test ends tomorrow. Barring unexpected developments, an extension is not on the cards.

DESFA will then assess first-round bids submitted before launching a second round in September, a binding stage expected to last until the end of spring in 2024.

Market trends have indicated that, in the forthcoming years, the country’s gas transmission system will need to supply new residential areas (western Macedonia in the north as well as Greece’s west) and also serve new interconnections with neighboring countries (North Macedonia, Bulgaria and, via TAP, Albania and Italy.

Athens troubled by Bulgaria’s Solidarity Ring project

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Athens intends to soon raise concerns, to the European Commission, over Bulgaria’s Solidarity Ring project, planned to transport natural gas of ambiguous origins to central Europe through a route bypassing Greece, crossing Turkey and benefiting, it seems, Russia.

Greek government officials are now preparing a letter for the European Commission in which a series of crucial questions regarding the Bulgarian project will be raised, including who stands to be its true beneficiary and whether the use of European funds for the revival of a version of the failed Nabucco pipeline would be appropriate.

The Nabucco pipeline had been planned to bypass Greece for the transportation of Caspian gas along a route running from Turkey to Austria, via Bulgaria. However, the TAP project, which connects with the Trans Anatolian Pipeline at the Greek-Turkish border, crosses northern Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea to southern Italy, prevailed in 2013.

Besides sidelining Greece, Bulgaria’s Solidarity Ring project would also exclude Greek gas grid operator DESFA, gas company DEPA, a partner in the Greek-Bulgarian IGB gas pipeline, as well as the TAP project’s shareholders.

The Solidarity Ring project, local authorities suspect, could be used to export Russian gas, disguised as Azerbaijani gas, to the EU via Bulgaria and Turkey.

 

DEPA Chief: ‘Holistic approach to energy matters needed more than ever’

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Mr. K. Xifaras, CEO of Public Gas Corporation of Greece (DEPA) SA., writes for International Energy Exhibition of Greece 2022

DEPA Commercial is Custodian of Greece’s energy security and of the smooth operation of the domestic energy market. Today, the energy sector, both in Greece and worldwide, is faced with a series of challenges and unforeseen factors which highlight, now more than ever, the need for a holistic approach to energy matters. The need to contain energy costs and support the society, on one hand, and the process of energy transition, on the other, have created a situation in which the market needs to find a balance which will ensure both the country’s energy efficiency and its survival in sustainable terms.

While trying to solve this difficult equation, the role of natural gas, as a bridge, fuel proves to be decisive for shaping the future of the energy market, given the diversification of energy sources and routes of supply and transport, as well as the expansion of storage capacity. DEPA Commercial, which consistently serves these strategic priorities, has been developing a multi-level strategy for the last three years that has proven to be particularly effective. A strategy with double focus: the verticalization and expansion of corporate activities, and the seamless transition to “green” energy, both of which are national goals described in the National Energy and Climate Plan and the European Green Agreement, enhancing our country’s role as a regional energy hub for the wider Southeast European region.

In order to cover the country’s immediate energy needs and to shield its energy security, DEPA Commercial is increasing the supply of LNG either through current contracts or through the spot market, while having already secured long-term agreements on more favorable terms. At the same time, the company is investing in important infrastructure projects and programs, which are drastically reshaping the energy status quo of the region and are contributing decisively to the process of Europe’s independence from Russian gas, such as the Greek-Bulgarian pipeline – IGB and the offshore LNG terminal (FSRU) in Alexandroupolis. Both, projects which will significantly increase the capacity of supply and storage of both Greece and the neighboring countries it serves.

TAP, Poseidon and EastMed are equally important pipeline projects, with the latter returning dynamically to the forefront as a result of the energy crisis, since it will enable the transport of natural gas from the fields of the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe. To that direction, DEPA Commercial is currently in advanced discussions with trading companies from Israel and Egypt.

In this way, a safety net is established regarding the security of supply in the wider region, which upgrades Greece’s geopolitical status by transforming it into a regulatory factor in the energy landscape.

Simultaneously, given the enhanced importance of natural gas, we have designed a comprehensive strategy aiming, on the one hand to expand the use of natural gas, both geographically and in terms of uses, and on the other hand to create the conditions for the development and utilization of renewable and alternative forms of energy. Keeping this in mind, DEPA Commercial is leading the developments towards the transition to a greener economy by designing and implementing initiatives that promote the further penetration of natural gas in the country’s energy mix, as a transitional fuel on the way to cleaner energy forms. The company also contributes substantially to the promotion of gas mobility and the use of cutting-edge technologies, such as Small-Scale LNG and CNG, thus expanding even further the natural gas network and ensuring distribution even in the most inaccessible areas. At the same, time, emphasis is placed on the development of a sustainable and efficient LNG supply chain for maritime transport that will increase the growth prospects of the Greek shipping sector.

With its sights on the future, DEPA Commercial is already active in the field of Renewable Energy Sources by creating a “green” portfolio that exceeds 200 MW of photovoltaic parks, and is also developing projects, infrastructure and technologies which will be able to serve in the future even “greener” energy such as hydrogen and biomethane.

Moreover, at DEPA Commercial we have proven that we operate always considering pertinent societal issues and, for this reason, with a true sense of responsibility we are contributing decisively to the absorption of a significant percentage of the rise in international gas prices, through the implementation of targeted market interventions aimed at supporting households and businesses, in full cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

With a solid vision and through hard work, DEPA Commercial is today an integrated energy company, with strong bases, operating vertically and according to modern corporate governance terms. We are meticulously planning our next steps and we are creating the conditions to successfully meet the ever-changing needs of the market and the economy.

 

IGB moves close to launch, ICGB consortium certified

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The Greek-Bulgarian IGB gas pipeline has moved a step closer towards its launch, expected around the end of this month, following the completion of a certification procedure for the ICGB consortium behind the project.

The European Commission, according to information made available, has approved a certification application submitted by the Greek Regulatory Authority for Energy, RAE, and its Bulgarian counterpart, EWRC.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Bulgarian leader Kiril Petkov will both attend the project’s inauguration ceremony in Komotini, northeastern Greece, this Friday, ahead of the project’s commercial launch towards the end of the month.

The two leaders are expected to highlight this project’s contribution to the EU’s ongoing effort to end the continent’s reliance on Russia’s Gazprom.

The IGB gas pipeline will offer an alternative natural gas route into Bulgaria, initially via the TAP route and, from autumn onwards, through Greece’s gas grid. From 2023, the IGB will serve as a gateway for LNG imports from coastal FSRUs in the region. LNG quantities will reach Bulgaria, Romania, even Ukraine, through pipeline interconnections.

IGB nearing completion, Bulgarian PM to visit Komotini

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The Greek-Bulgarian IGB gas pipeline, whose construction is expected to be completed by mid-April, promises to contribute to the EU’s effort for drastically reduced reliance on Russian gas.

The IGB gas pipeline, a 50-50 joint venture of the ICGB consortium, involving Greek-Italian company IGI Poseidon (DEPA and Edison) and Bulgaria’s BEH, will run from Komotini, northeastern Greece, to Stara Zagora in Bulgaria and be linked with the TAP pipeline that runs across northern Greece for supply of Azerbaijaini gas to the region.

The IGB pipeline will offer a second interconnection between Greece and Bulgaria, in addition to the nearby Sidirokastro link.

Last week, EU officials announced a new energy strategy, Repower EU, aiming to reduce Russian gas imports to the continent by two-thirds. The establishment of alternative energy supply routes into Europe is now a priority on the Brussels agenda.

Bulgarian prime minister Kiril Petkov is scheduled to visit the IGB project contactor AVAX’s construction site in Komotini this Friday. His Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis has been forced to miss the occasion after being sidelined by the Covid-19 virus. Energy minister Kostas Skrekas will fill in.

Athens to discuss plan should Russian gas supply be cut

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The Greek government is on high alert fearing the entry of Russian troops into two rebel-held regions in Ukraine’s east could disrupt Russian natural gas supplies to Europe and prompt energy insufficiencies, including in Greece.

In response to the development, energy minister Kostas Skrekas has been asked to attend an emergency meeting of the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defense (KYSEA), to be headed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and present a detailed update on the strategy he could implement to avert a natural gas shortage in Greece should Russia disrupt its gas supply to Europe or the EU imposes economic sanctions on Russia, including its gas exports.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has recognized Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states.

The fundamentals of the Greek energy minister’s plan had been presented at a recent government meeting on February 14.

According to sources, the worst-case scenario would entail a disruption of Russian natural gas supply via the TurkStream pipeline, which supplies Bulgaria and then Greece.

In this event, Greece would need to utilize gas grid operator DESFA’s LNG terminal, on the islet Revythoussa just off Athens, to its fullest, as well as the TAP pipeline supplying natural gas from Azerbaijan.

The Revythoussa LNG terminal is currently filled to capacity and would remain so with two shipments each month for as long as the Ukraine crisis continues, sources have informed.

However, the big question for Greece, and Europe as a whole, is whether LNG shipments will be available, and at what price.

Milder weather conditions, resulting in less gas consumption, would help ease the pressure on grids throughout Europe.

Emergency energy plan shaped should Russia invade Ukraine

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The government’s emergency energy sufficiency plan should a Russian invasion of Ukraine occur over the next couple of months and interrupt Russian gas supply to Greece, a worst-case scenario considered unlikely yet not impossible, includes at least three additional LNG shipments from Algeria and Egypt, a switch to diesel powering of natural gas-fueled powered stations, wherever this is technically possible, as well as increased inflow of natural gas from Azerbaijan through the TAP route.

The country’s energy planning authorities continue to believe there is no cause for alarm, despite being under no illusions that the quantity of Russian gas supply received by Greece could be fully replaced in the event of a disruption.

External factors beyond the control of the country’s energy officials will be crucial should  Russian forces invade Ukraine. The duration of any conflict, weather conditions over the next couple of months, as well as the availability of additional gas orders, in a market where demand levels are already breaking records, are all crucial factors that would shape the severity of yet another crisis.

Five hydrogen projects seeking inclusion on IPCEI list

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Authorities at the energy and development ministries are working on approval procedures for five hydrogen-related projects involving as many companies – Damco (Copelouzos group), Snam, Energean, TAP and gas grid operator DESFA – all seeking their inclusion on the EU’s list of Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI).

Damco is interested in developing a low-carbon blue hydrogen production facility in Greece’s north. The project is planned to use natural gas for the production of hydrogen, while also capturing carbon emissions.

A Damco partnership with Italy’s Snam, involved in a number of hydrogen projects, is looking to develop three hydrogen producing facilities, in Athens, Thessaloniki and Alexandroupoli, as well as hydrogen reloading railway stations.

Energean plans to develop a blue hydrogen plant of virtually zero emissions at Prinos, using natural gas and combining carbon capture and storage technology. Energean has already being given recovery fund approval and funding for this project.

DESFA, the gas grid operator, wants to develop hydrogen transmission projects.

TAP is interested in developing projects linked to the major White Dragon project – involving the country’s biggest energy groups with gas company DEPA Commercial as head coordinator, for a hydrogen producing facility in northern Greece’s lignite-dependent west Macedonia region – with the intention of transporting and exporting hydrogen to European markets through interconnections.

Once the five hydrogen projects are approved domestically, their investors will need to prove the maturity of the projects, technically and financially, in accordance with IPCEI criteria.

 

Natural gas consumption hits record level in 2021, up 10.9%

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Natural gas consumption in Greece reached an all-time high in 2021, increasing by 10.87 percent to 69.96 million MWh, up from 63.1 million MWh in 2020, according to annual data provided by DESFA, the country’s gas grid operator.

Natural gas-fueled power stations represented the greatest share of this consumption, using 68.65 percent in 2021, while household consumers and suppliers linked to the grid followed with 18.77 percent. Industrial enterprises directly linked with DESFA’s high-pressure supply system consumed 12.56 percent of the country’s total natural gas inflow.

Sidirokastro in Greece’s northeast remains the main natural gas entry point, while considerable natural gas quantities were also brought in from the new Nea Mesimvria entry point, in the north, which, since late 2020, has linked the country’s grid with the TAP pipeline running across northern Greece.

 

Solid trader interest for LNG terminal slots despite crisis-related concerns

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Demand is high for LNG slots at the Revythoussa terminal in 2022, made available through ongoing gas grid operator DESFA auctions, attracting strong interest from importers, despite concerns that the current energy crisis and difficulty to make price projections could dampen interest at these sessions, ending November 2 with a third and final auction.

The level of interest for LNG slots at DESFA’s Revythoussa terminal, on the islet just off Athens, is significant for the gas grid operator as well as power grid operator IPTO, as it helps shape the country’s energy security picture, especially for the challenging colder months, right up until the end of April in 2022.

A total of 2.5 billion cubic meters of LNG is expected to be needed in 2022 to satisfy the Greek market’s needs, according to sources.

Besides LNG, overall natural gas consumption in the Greek market next year is expected to reach 7.5 billion cubic meters.

Of this total, 5 billion cubic meters is expected to be supplied through pipeline gas imports, 3.5 million cubic meters coming from Russia, one billion cubic meters from Azerbaijan, through the TAP route, and 0.5 billion cubic meters from Turkey’s Botas.

 

 

 

Revythoussa terminal LNG slot auctions for ’22 starting today

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Gas grid operator DESFA will today stage the first of three auctions planned until November 2 for LNG slots at its Revythoussa terminal in 2022, following a slight delay in the hope of a gas price de-escalation, to no avail.

These sessions are planned to be immediately followed by auctions – to be staged until the end of the year – for reservations of LNG slots at Revythoussa between 2023 and 2026.

DESFA, along with power grid operator IPTO, have their eyes set on the first auction series for LNG slot reservations at Revythoussa in 2022, given the extraordinary market conditions prompted by the sharp rise in natural gas prices over recent months.

According to market experts, making forecasts about the auctions concerning 2022 is next to impossible as it remains unclear if importers, especially electricity producers, managing their own gas supplies, will seek LNG slots at Revythoussa or hold back and instead opt to punt on pipeline gas.

Whatever the outcome, energy sufficiency will not be an issue as the Revythoussa terminal nowadays represents only 30 percent of total gas imports into Greece, the northern grid interconnection and TAP playing dominant roles, DESFA officials noted.

 

 

Crisis Management Committee to examine supply security

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The Crisis Management Committee is expected to meet within the first fortnight of October to examine the overall situation in the energy market, driving price levels up to exorbitant levels for consumers of all categories.

The committee’s members will discuss the issue of supply adequacy and security for meeting electricity generation needs, primarily.

Electricity, natural gas and CO2 emission prices are skyrocketing, while natural gas shortages are now emerging in EU markets, all as a result of an extraordinary combination of developments in European markets.

For the time being, Greek energy sector authorities – RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy; DESFA, the gas grid operator; and IPTO, the power grid operator – have remained reassuring. Yesterday, RAE president Athanasios Dagoumas noted: “We are not in a state of alarm but are vigilant.”

Overall natural gas consumption is expected to increase in 2021. Consumption was 14 percent higher in the first half compared to the equivalent period a year earlier, DESFA data has shown.

Gas demand rose in July and August to meet increased electricity generation needs and is also expected to be elevated this coming winter.

In Greece, approximately 60 percent of natural gas consumption results from electricity generation. The ongoing withdrawal of coal-fired power stations and greater reliance on fluctuating RES output is expected to lead to a further increase in demand for natural gas.

Local authorities have pointed to Greece’s natural gas source diversification, made possible by the Revythoussa LNG terminal and TAP, both offering alternative solutions, as crucial in the effort to manage the current energy crisis.

DESFA looks to biomethane, hydrogen, plans grid investments

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Greek gas grid operator DESFA plans to invest in biomethane and hydrogen infrastructure to be in a position to utilize these eco-friendly gas options and avoid being impacted by the energy transition.

DESFA’s experienced European gas companies holding stakes in the Greek operator believe green biomethane technologies are more developed and mature compared to those available for hydrogen.

Snam, Enagas and DESFA’s other shareholders – Fluxys, Damco – have set as a primary objective to “decarbonize the natural gas chain”.

DESFA officials are in talks with universities, market authorities, as well as Greek enterprises to develop biomethane pilot programs.

More projects such as the White Dragon project – bringing Greece’s biggest industrial corporations closer for major investments in electrolytic hydrogen production by means of solar energy from photovoltaic parks – can be expected next winter, officials anticipate.

If the White Dragon project is approved, DESFA plans to upgrade its existing natural gas network in order to be able to receive hydrogen production, transport from the country’s north to south, channel to TAP and, via TAP, transport to the EU.

DESFA’s share of the White Dragon project, estimated between 30 and 35 percent of the cost, is expected to reach 1.5 billion euros, of which one billion euros – if the project is approved – will concern the development of new infrastructure for hydrogen transmission through the Greek gas network, measuring 1,466 km.

Brussels forwards new PCI list, to be finalized late this year

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The European Commission’s fifth PCI (Projects of Common Interest) list in the electricity and natural gas sectors, being forwarded for public consultation, features, for now, a number of project additions and removals, compared to the previous edition.

Market officials and state authorities will have the opportunity to offer their views and observations over the consultation procedure’s twelve-week period before the European Commission adopts a finalized version of the fifth PCI list towards the end of 2021, based on an existing Trans-European Networks for Energy (TEN-E) framework, focused on linking the energy infrastructure of EU countries.

PCI projects are entitled to EU funding support. Brussels authorities introduced selection criteria revisions in December, ascertaining, however, that the impact of all projects, especially on CO2 emissions, will be appraised when finalizing the PCI list’s fifth edition.

The provisional list includes a number of electricity and gas sector projects concerning Greece.

Electricity-sector projects involving Greece include: a Bulgarian-Greek grid interconnection, expected to be completed in 2023; an Egyptian-Greek-Libyan grid interconnection headed by Green Power 2020 and scheduled for delivery in 2025; as well as three Egypt-Greece interconnections, two of these featuring Kykladika Meltemia SA as project promoter and expected to be respectively completed in 2025 and 2028, and a third headed by Elica SA and scheduled for completion in 2028.

An energy storage project planned by Eunice for Ptolemaida, northern Greece, and scheduled for completion in 2022 is a new entry on the PCI list.

In the natural gas sector, the PCI list includes: the Alexandroupoli FSRU (2022); a subsea pipeline between Greece and Italy, known as the Poseidon Pipeline (2025); EastMed, a pipeline planned to carry natural gas from the east Mediterranean to European markets, via Crete (2025); a compressor station in Thessaloniki’s Nea Mesimvria area (2022); a metering and regulating station in Megalopoli, Peloponnese (2025); a compressor station in Abelia, in Greece’s mid-north (2023); a compressor station in Kipoi, northeastern Greece (2024); a pipeline link for the Alexandroupoli FSRU (2022); a TAP pipeline capacity increase (2025); and the development of an underground gas storage facility (UGS) in the almost depleted natural gas field of “South Kavala” in northern Greece (2023).

DEPA calls for RAE to prioritize Kipoi, Abelia compressor stations

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Gas utility DEPA has underlined the gas-supply security importance of two prospective compressor stations in Kipoi, northeastern Greece, and Abelia, in the mid-north, urging RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, to prioritize their development.

The two projects, on a RAE list of infrastructure projects for preventive action, are expected to significantly improve energy supply security in Greece over the mid and long-term by facilitating the transportation process of natural gas.

DEPA stressed the importance of the two compressor stations in a letter forwarded to RAE’s public consultation procedure on its preventive action plan.

The two compressor stations are vital for grid-connection and gas-flow purposes concerning the prospective Alexandroupoli FSRU and an underground gas storage facility (UGS) planned for development at an almost depleted offshore natural gas field in South Kavala, DEPA pointed out in its letter.

Also, the Abelia compressor station is needed to ensure hydraulic gas-flow sufficiency from north to south, via the TAP project, DEPA noted.

Both compressor station projects feature in gas grid operator DESFA’s ten-year development plan covering 2021 to 2030.

Gas market competition intensifies, TAP lowering prices

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Competition has intensified in the country’s wholesale gas market at a time of changing conditions and negotiations for 2021 deals between importers and major-scale consumers, namely electricity producers and industrial enterprises.

Many gas supply contracts expired at the end of 2020, requiring a large number of players to renegotiate deals. Some of these big consumers have already reached new agreements with gas wholesalers.

Market conditions have changed considerably compared to a year earlier. Supply of Azeri gas through the new TAP route has already begun to Greece as well as Bulgaria, increasing overall supply, which has obliged, and permitted, gas utility DEPA to pursue a more aggressive pricing policy as the company pushes to absorb quantities it has committed to through clauses in existing contracts.

Also, the TAP-related increase of gas supply to Bulgaria, combined with this country’s inflow of Russian gas through oil-indexed price agreements, currently relatively cheaper, is now depriving Greek wholesale gas companies of entry into a neighboring market that was available for trading activity last year.

Furthermore, conditions have also been impacted by a competition committee decision no longer requiring DEPA to stage gas auctions to make available a share of its gas orders to rival traders. This measure was introduced and maintained to help liberalize Greece’s gas market.

The new conditions are pushing Greek traders towards more competitive pricing policies. They appear to have acknowledged that their profit margins will be narrower in 2021.

DEPA, helped by the fact that a sizeable proportion of its gas purchases is oil-indexed, is said to be playing a dominant role in the ongoing negotiations for new contracts with customers.

It should be pointed out that, unlike rival gas importers such as Mytilineos, Elpedison and Heron, all benefitting through self-consumption of a large part of their gas orders for gas-fired power stations they operate, DEPA does not self-consume.

Prometheus Gas, a member of the Copelouzos group, remains a formidable player, while the power utility PPC and petroleum company Motor Oil are less influential in the wholesale gas market.

Higher LNG prices, compared to pipeline gas, will decrease demand for LNG this year and weaken the interest of traders for LNG supply through gas grid operator DESFA’s Revythoussa terminal on the islet just off Athens. Last year, this facility was a hot spot of trading activity as a result of lower-priced LNG.

Azeri gas through TAP route now just a fortnight away

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Just two weeks remain before the scheduled launch of the TAP gas pipeline on January 1, a development to facilitate the inflow of Azeri gas into the Greek market.

This coming Monday, in the final step before the launch, the TAP project, running across Greece’s north, Albania and the Adriatic Sea to Italy, will be interconnected with Greek gas grid operator DESFA’s domestic network.

Greek gas utility DEPA has already reached an agreement with Azeri officials for an annual amount of 1 bcm through the TAP route. Azerbaijan is offering customers discount prices for 2021.

TAP’s Azeri natural gas supply to the Greek market will represent a fifth gas source alternative for Greece, bolstering the country’s energy security while also promising to offer benefits to consumers and the national economy.

The technical details of the TAP-DESFA pipeline interconnection, situated in Thessaloniki’s Nea Mesimvria area, were completed several weeks ago. The link has undergone testing over the past month or so.

TAP trial test preparing launch, Azeri gas delivery by year’s end

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The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project, to enable the delivery of Caspian gas to destinations throughout southeastern, central and western Europe, is currently undergoing trial tests at its interconnection with the Greek grid in Thessaloniki’s Nea Mesimvria area, sources have informed.

As things currently stand, gas grid operator DESFA should be ready to receive Azeri natural gas through the Nea Mesimvria point within the next few weeks, a development that will offer the Greek gas grid a fifth alternative supply entry point.

Completion of the trial testing, expected to last until next month, will enable the project’s commercial launch. Greek gas utility DEPA and Bulgaria’s BEH have reserved respective capacities at preceding auctions.

The TAP project’s launch promises to benefit the Greek economy and also bolster the country’s energy supply security.

At present, the national gas grid possesses three entry points. Russian gas enters Greece via the Nea Mesimvria point after crossing the Bulgarian system. Kipoi in Evros, northeastern Greece, linked to a Greek-Turkish pipeline, and the LNG terminal at the islet Revythoussa, just off Athens, represent the Greek system’s two other entry points.

Besides Nea Mesimvria, the TAP project, running across northern Greece and through Albania all the way across the Adriatic Sea to Italy, will also offer the Greek gas grid a fifth entry point via Italy.

Bulgaria’s BEH reserves local capacity for gas market entry

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Bulgaria’s state-owned Bulgarian Energy Holdings, participating in a gas auction staged by Greek gas grid operator DESFA, has reserved gas infrastructure capacity at the national grid’s crossing with the new TAP line in Nea Mesimvria, west of Thessaloniki, establishing a base for entry into the Greek gas market.

Greek gas utility DEPA reserved the biggest share, 29,000 MWh per day, at the auction, while Bulgaria’s BEH secured a smaller share of 3,300 MWh per day.

The DESFA auction offered Nea Mesimvria infrastructure capacities for the first quarter of 2021.

Local market authorities regard the Bulgarian company’s move as a positive step that reignites interest in the Greek market.

It remains to be seen if BEH can attract customers in the Greek market and supply here, or whether its share of TAP line gas, even if modest, will end up being used for Bulgarian market needs.

Either way, the Bulgarian company’s initiative can be interpreted as a positive move by an international player seeing potential in the Greek market.

Significant steps towards maturity have been made in recent years, but the Greek gas market still has ground to cover before reaching levels of liquidity and transparency achieved by major markets and hubs in central and western Europe.

TAP’s commercial launch now on the final stretch

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The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project, to enable the delivery of Caspian gas to destinations throughout southeastern, central and western Europe, is almost ready for its commercial launch, four years after construction began and 17 years after its first feasibility study was conducted.

The project, running from the Shah Deniz gas field in Azerbaijan, will represent the EU’s main alternative route for natural gas, greatly contributing to the end of the continent’s dependence on Russian gas, supply security and intensified competition.

The TAP project will begin operating at a capacity of 10 billion cubic meters, annually.

Greece was the first of the project’s host countries to complete its segment of construction work, a 550-km stretch across northern Greece, from Evros’ Kipoi area in the northeast to Ieropigi in the Kastoria province, at the Greek-Albanian border.

Just days ago, Greece’s energy ministry approved the operation of the project’s Greek segment, running from Evros to Rodopi, Xanthi, Kavala, Drama, Serres, Thessaloniki, Kilkis, Pella, Imathia, Florina, Kozani and Kastroria.

Authorities of the project’s two other host nations, Albania and Italy, will soon grant their respective operating permits, sources informed.

The project’s commercial launch is expected to take place close to the final quarter this year, the energy ministry has announced.

The Greek and Italian gas grid operators, DESFA and Snam, respectively, will need to prepare their national grids so that natural gas quantities can reach consumers via TAP, sources added.

 

US backs Greece’s east Mediterranean activities, major projects

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All countries in the east Mediterranean region must carry out their activities in accordance with international law, including the International Law of the Sea as stipulated by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Greek and US governments have jointly announced following a high-level virtual conference held yesterday on energy issues.

This statement clearly offers US support for the positions of Greece, facing Turkish provocation.

The working group’s participating Greek and US officials reiterated the commitment of the two countries to cooperate on the effort to diversify energy sources in southeast Europe, collaborate with regional partners for energy source development, and promote regional energy security.

The latest energy working group builds on steadily growing bilateral cooperation following Greek-US strategic dialogue meetings in December, 2018 and October, 2019, the joint announcement added.

The Greek team was represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Deputy Minister for Economic Diplomacy and Openness Kostas Frangogiannis and Deputy Environment and Energy Minister Gerassimos Thomas (photo). The US team was represented by Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Francis Fannon and Under Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes.

Fannon, the Assistant Secretary of State, expressed satisfaction on the completion of the Greek segment of the TAP gas pipeline project, to carry Azeri gas to Europe.

The US official also offered support for the ongoing construction of the Greek-Bulgarian IGB gas pipeline interconnection and the progress achieved in plans for an FSRU in Alexandroupoli, northeastern Greece, a South Kavala underground gas storage facility, and Greek-North Macedonian connection.

Six Greek heavyweights among DEPA Commercial contenders

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Six major Greek energy market players are among the contenders through to the second round of the DEPA Commercial sale, the biggest domestic turnout for an energy-sector tender in recent years, highlighting the gas market’s significance and prospects over the next decade.

The country’s energy transition plan is aiming for zero emissions by 2030.

Hellenic Petroleum (ELPE), joined by Italian partner Edison, a Motor Oil and power utility PPC partnership, Mytilineos, Gek-Terna and the Copelouzos group are the six Greek contenders, among a list of seven bidding teams shortlisted for the DEPA Commercial sale’s final round, entailing binding bids.

Gas utility DEPA, from which DEPA Commercial has been established for the utility’s privatization, may have lost its monopoly in the natural gas market, but its assets and market share promise the new owner a leading position during Greece’s decade of decarbonization, electric vehicle market growth and drastic reduction in fuel consumption.

As a result, fierce bidding for DEPA Commercial is expected.

The company’s acquisition will provide the new owner with a portfolio of 350,000 customers plus DEPA Commercial’s international supply contracts with Russia’s Gazprom, supplying pipeline gas to the Greek company for years; Algeria’s Sonatrach, supplying LNG; and Turkey’s Botas.

Gas quantities from Azerbaijan have also been reserved by DEPA Commercial via the imminent TAP route.

 

 

 

DESFA considering west Macedonia pipeline expansion

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Gas grid operator DESFA’s next ten-year development plan, for 2021 to 2030, may include gas network extension projects in areas that have not featured in previous plans, including northern Greece’s west Macedonia region.

The shape and extent of the pipeline network expansion plan will depend on the development, or not, of regional natural gas-fired power stations by electricity producers.

Preliminary considerations for DESFA’s new ten-year development plan come just weeks after a delayed approval by authorities of the operator’s ten-year plan covering 2020 to 2029.

A prospective decision by power grid operator PPC on whether its Ptolemaida V power station will operate as a natural gas-fired unit will be instrumental in shaping DESFA’s investment decisions for pipeline network expansions in the west Macedonia area.

DESFA also intends to develop metering stations at TAP project corridor points as the capacity to be offered by the TAP project will not suffice to cover regional needs if natural gas-fired power stations are developed in the west Macedonia region.

DESFA plans to construct three new metering and regulating stations in the Eordea, Kastoria and Aspros (Edessa, Naoussa, Giannitsa) areas, their budget totaling 8 million euros. These stations, whose completion is expected by the end of 2022, will enable the development of a mid and low-voltage network for natural gas transmission to these areas.

 

DESFA 10-year plan approved, virtual pipelines not included

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Gas grid operator DESFA’s ten-year development plan has been approved by RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, following a lengthy procedure, including consultation, that lasted several months.

A virtual pipeline proposal envisioning LNG supply to Crete, the north Aegean islands and the Dodecanese via tankers from the operator’s Revythoussa terminal just off Athens was left out of the approved plan. This is the ten-year plan’s only notable change compared to the draft forwarded for consultation.

LNG virtual pipelines serve as a substitute for conventional gas pipelines to enable the transport of LNG to points of use by sea, road or a combination of these.

The virtual pipeline proposal was removed from the DESFA ten-year plan following concerns expressed by consultation participants over higher surcharge costs for consumers that could have been imposed as part of the project’s cost recovery procedure.

The gas grid operator’s ten-year plan includes, for the first time, a natural gas outlet along the TAP route for the west Macedonia region in Greece’s north.

This TAP outlet, a project budgeted at 3 million euros and expected to be launched late in 2022, is intended to supply natural gas to the area’s provincial cities of Kozani, Ptolemaida, Florina and Amynteo for use at telethermal facilities as well as other energy needs in the post-lignite era.

The area’s telethermal system currently relies on energy produced by power utility PPC’s lignite-fired power stations, soon set for withdrawal as part of the country’s decarbonization effort.

 

DESFA wants key role in country’s infrastructure projects

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Gas grid operator DESFA, controlled by Senfluga, a consortium formed by Snam, Enagas and Fluxys for their acquisition of a 66 percent stake of the operator in 2018, is determined to play a leading role in all the country’s infrastructure projects as well as Greece’s wider natural gas-related developments.

“We see our role as being that of the leader in Greece’s gas sector and the wider region. We are interested in every gas project and want to be able to claim it. We also have the know-how and strong shareholders to play such a role,” a DESFA official told energypress.

According to sources, DESFA’s emergence as a prospective buyer of DEPA Infrastructure, a new entity established by gas utility DEPA as part of its privatization procedure, prompted officials to slightly extend the sale deadline.

More specifically, Snam, the Senfluga consortium’s chief member with a 54 percent stake, requested a deadline extension for the DEPA Infrastructure as it has yet to decide on its partners for this bidding quest. Enagas and Fluxys each hold 18 percent stakes in Senfluga. The Copelouzos group’s Damco recently joined this consortium, buying a 10 percent stake.

DESFA’s influence is also believed to have persuaded officials to delay a decision on whether to classify the development of a natural gas storage facility at a depleted offshore gas field in the south Kavala region as a national or independent grid project.

Snam, Enagas and Fluxys are part of the six-member Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) consortium.

DESFA, which has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Alexandroupoli FSRU, is now seriously considering to acquire a 20 percent stake in this venture, headed by Gastrade.

Other projects being considered by DESFA include a 175 million-euro Cretan LNG terminal that promises to resolve the island’s energy sufficiency concerns, as well as a 57.3-km gas pipeline connection linking the Thessaloniki area with North Macedonia, already included in the operator’s ten-year strategic plan.

 

RAE given 5 months to set Kavala underground gas storage charges

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RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, has been given five months to determine the pricing policy, regulated earnings and WACC for a planned underground gas storage facility at a depleted offshore gas field in the south Kavala region, according to an imminent joint ministerial decision, energypress understands.

The launch date of the project’s tender will depend on funding for project studies through the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program. This essentially means that the privatization fund TAIPED will need to officially launch the project within the first half of this year to avoid missing out on CEF funds.

The project’s investment cost is estimated at between 300 and 400 million euros.

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.

The project, promising gas storage capacity of 360 million cubic meters, is considered vital for Greece as it will be able to maintain strategic reserves for considerable time periods.

Its development will help boost the performance level and strategic role of the Revythoussa LNG terminal just off Athens, and the prospective Alexandroupoli FSRU in the country’s northeast, as these will be able to supply the wider region greater gas quantities via the IGB and TAP gas pipelines.

The south Kavala project has been classified as a PCI project, offering EU funding opportunities, seen as crucial for the investment’s sustainability, according to some analysts.