National Markets Greek gas
The Greek-Turkish natural gas pipeline. Photo: Simela Pantzartzi/EPA The developing Greek natural gas market
The investment of sufficient capital could transform Greece from an avid consumer of lignite and oil to a faithful user of natural gas - a dramatic change in its energy history.
September / October 2008 European Energy Review
66 Greek gas National Markets
| by Ioannis Michaletos
The Greek natural gas market is technical committee has been set up to stating merely that ‘We are examining the developing fast. The government wants deal with the issue'. viability of stock-marketing flotation in to turn the country into an important All of the gas flowing from Russia through the immediate future.’ gas transportation hub. Currently Greece Bulgaria is sold by Gazprom and imported meets approximately 50% of its energy by the Greek state owned company Depa. Network | consumption with lignite, whereas natural The negotiations are carried out by the Desfa, a 100% subsidiary of Depa, was gas is good for only 10%. According to recent representatives of the two governments. founded in 2007 to take care of the gas figures from the Ministry of Development, networks as a separate entity. It had sales the present day annual consumption of 4 Key players | of €188 million and profits of €38 million billion cubic metres is expected to exceed Depa sells its gas to 13 other peripheral for 2007. 8 billion cubic metres in 2015. Between enterprises, which are owned both by Depa The total value of the various projects 2003 and 2007, natural gas consumption and by private investors. The company was Desfa is currently developing amounts grew by no less than 61%. established in 1988 and had sales €1.1 to €1.5 billion. The most important billion in 2007 and €80 million in profit of these projects are the construction The Greek government wants to diversify after taxes. of new branches of the high pressure the energy consumption in order to The Greek government recently made pipelines to southern Greece in order to overcome the problems associated with known its desire to introduce Depa to the supply the industrial zone of Corinth and the depletion of the lignite deposits and stock exchange. The government owns the construction of another branch of the increase of CO2 emissions. It also 65% of the company while the remainder the network for the national electricity wants to create the necessary framework belongs to the semi-state oil company. The company in the town of Aliveri. These upon which the country could become value is estimated at over €1.5 billion. are in essence extensions of the pipeline a regional energy hub transferring gas entering from Bulgaria. to Europe. This could lead to substantial international investments in the Greek As for Depa, there are also plans for the gas networks. privatisation of Desfa. The greek analist and natural gas expert Theodoros Panagoulis For the moment the natural gas market believes that instead of Depa, it is Desfa’s in Greece is controlled by the state, via stock market flotation that is imminent. He multiple ownerships, albeit that market says that ‘Desfa has guaranteed revenues developments will eventually lead to because use of its network is obligatory for foreign and private players investing more all natural gas trading companies in the and more in the commercial, network and Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and his country. At the same time, it also has an storage sectors. Turkish counterpart Recep Tayip Erdogan. immediate need for capital to maintain its Photo: Simela Pantzartzi/EPA network and, finally, it actually competes Russian influence | Ioannis Soukiouroglou, independent with its parent company Depa. It is quite The first agreement for an international energy consultant, says to EER that the possible for some part of the company to transportation pipeline for natural gas privatisation of Depa is a complex issue. be introduced to the stock exchange in the between Greece and Russia was signed ‘First and foremost, many financial, near future and for the rest to be separated in 1987 and expires in 2016. It covers legal and technical matters still need from the parent company and to be taken the transfer of gas through the Greek- to be addressed before the company over by the state.’ Bulgarian pipeline. Russia supplies 80% of becomes truly ready for flotation on the Greece's needs with the rest coming from stock exchange. Additionally, the public A third important player on the Greek Algerian imports. The pipeline mentioned electricity company has an option of market is EPA - the largest of the so-called was constructed by the Greek state in purchasing 30% of the state-owned shares peripheral companies. EPA was created in the '90s and for the moment it has two according to a 1996 agreement, based on 2001 and is owned by Depa (51%), Cinergy branches; one towards Athens and the the support it provided to the natural Global Power and Shell Gas (each 24.5%). second to the northern industrial site of gas project. However, the Regulatory The company operates mainly within the Komotini. Authority for Energy will not consent to Attika district of Athens. It had sales of this and there is a very serious possibility €99 million and made a loss of €6 million Athens and Moscow are currently that such a sale would trigger monopoly in 2007. Epa is currently working to extend negotiating a new bilateral agreement sanctions from the EU. The electricity its network. It is planning to invest some by which the gas flow from Russia will be company already buys 70% of all natural €100 million in this. The company expects secured until 2040. The Greek Ministry gas entering the country.’ that by 2012, 680,000 households (50% of of Development notes that ‘a special Depa’s press office declined to comment, Attica’s total) will be using natural gas.
European Energy Review September / October 2008
67 National Markets Greek gas
The promise Energy Consumption Istanbul Greece is heavily Prinos Oil 61 Kavala dependent on oil. Coal 26 Domestic production Gas 8 GREECE could grow in Hydro 3 future years Renewables AEGEAN SEA 1 Izmir Athens TURKEY Zante Oil Gas mln barrels bln m3 IONIAN SEA Proved reserves 7 1 500 km Production 2.3 per year nil SEA OF CRETE Consumption 162 per year 4 per year X&Y Graphics
But there are also new players waiting in signed an agreement with Russia on be built by Desfa in Greece. The remaining the wings. The Greek Power Corporation, cooperation in the construction and section of about 200 kilometers, which owned 50% by the state is currently operation of the Greek section of the South will run under the sea between Greece and in negotiation with the German RWE Stream pipeline. The agreement holds Italy, will be handled by Poseidon, a 50-50 for the creation of a joint natural for 30 years. South Stream will traverse project joint venture of Edison and Depa. gas trading company in Greece and Northern Greece and end up in Southern According to a statement by the Ministry production units in the Balkan states. A Italy carrying 30 billion bcm of gas per year, of Development, the pipeline will be big private corporation named Mytilineos according to present day announcements ‘comprised of two parts: the land and the has expressed its interest in joining by the governmental authorities involved. underwater sections, and will transport ranks with Spanish Endesa. Neither of They include Russia, Bulgaria, Greece, natural gas produced in Azerbaijan from these joint ventures has been officially Italy and the two shareholders (50-50), Turkey to Greece and from there to Italy. confirmed yet. According to unconfirmed ENI and Gazprom. The exact date for the The underwater section to Italy will be 212 media reports, Gazprom too is said to be commencement of construction is not km in length and 32 inches in diameter, interested in becoming a strategic partner yet known and unofficial estimations by crossing the Ionian Sea at a maximum of a large Greek gas company once South industry analysts project around 2010 the depth of 1,450 m. Stream is completed. earliest. Depa and Edison (the Italian energy company) each have a 50% share in Another project is the IGI - "Poseidon" ‘Poseidon’ and the whole of the project is Pipelines | pipeline. It has length of about 800 estimated to cost about €1 billion. On 29 April 2008, the Greek government kilometers, 590 kilometers of which will Soukiouroglou notes that there are still many uncertainties surrounding the future development of the Greek gas market. ‘Greece has agreed to the construction of the South Stream pipeline, but we have not yet heard any further details of the Greek participation in the project’, he says. ‘It is not clear whether natural gas storage facilities will be constructed in the country, or who will manage these. Even the supply of gas from Azerbaijan through the IGI-Poseidon pipeline is as yet uncertain; it depends on whether Turkey will accept the role of retailer or transporter. For political reasons the Greek government would strongly object to Turkey becoming the seller’ Only one thing is certain, Soukiouroglou says: ‘The Greek gas market will change Inauguration of the Greek-Turkish natural gas pipeline, in Ipsala, Turkey. Photo: Simela Pantzartzi/EPA dramatically in the next few years.’
September / October 2008 European Energy Review
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