ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th April, 2022) Greek Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas informed visiting members of the US Congress and the US ambassador during a meeting in Athens on Tuesday about how Greece plans to ensure its energy sufficiency in the event of a cut in gas supplies from Russia, the ministry said on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by members of the US House Energy and Commerce Committee: Frank Pallone Jr., Fred Upton, Yvette D. Clarke, Jerry McNerney, Robert E. Latta, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Lizzie Fletcher, as well as US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt.
Greek Secretary General for Energy and Mineral Resources Alexandra Sdoukou also participated in the meeting.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the impact of the situation in Ukraine on the global economy and energy markets, as well as the measures taken by the Greek government to offset the impact of high increase in energy prices.
"The Greek minister mentioned, among other things, the expansion of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal at Revithoussa (island) and the implementation of infrastructure strategically important for the country's energy security, such as the new LNG regasification terminals in Alexandroupoli and Corinth, the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria pipeline and the electricity interconnection with Egypt, Cyprus and Israel," the ministry said in a statement.
Skrekas also presented Greece's ambitious plans for energy transition. He said that by 2030, the national strategic goal is to source 70% of the internal electricity needs from renewable sources. By the end of the decade, the installed capacity of renewable energy units will exceed 20 GW, and a storage power plants with a capacity of at least 3 GW are in the pipeline. He highlighted the programs of energy modernization of buildings, development of electric cars and decarbonization of Greek islands within the framework of the Gr-Eco Islands initiatives.
The minister announced that the first national law on climate change, including goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, will be submitted to the parliament in the coming days. The statement noted that the situation in Ukraine and its impact on energy prices will "accelerate the transition to green economy" as Europe needs to become independent of Russian hydrocarbons and also lower renewable energy costs.
