ATHENS – “We will support natural gas consumers this winter against the explosive increase in prices,” Environment and Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas said on SKAI television on Sunday morning, in response to questions about the 700,000 households using natural gas in Greece.

“The prime minister’s orders are to examine scenarios for supporting households that use natural gas because we cannot and must not leave households unable to heat their homes in the heart of winter,” Skrekas said.

He noted that in the previous year, these households had been supported via an increased heating benefit that had included natural gas consumers and by subsidies of natural gas bills.

For this year, Skrekas said the discussion was still underway with the finance ministry and that more will be announced after the conclusion of the collaboration with the ministry’s leadership and the prime minister’s approval and “once we arrive at the fairest and more focused support measures for those that have the greatest need in the coming winter.”