ATHENS – Greece is rapidly emerging as the key gateway for natural gas in Southeastern Europe, with projects such as the TAP pipeline, the LNG terminal in Revythoussa and the FSRUs in Alexandroupolis, Environment and Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas said on Monday, addressing the voria.gr conference in Thessaloniki on the energy crisis and northern Greece.

“Five or six years ago, we weren’t even on the energy map. We got onto this map when we succeeded, in 2012-2014, in getting the TAP pipeline to pass through our country instead of Bulgaria. Our position was then made stronger through the capability for the liquified natural gas terminal in Alexandroupolis and soon in Corinth, where the project is close to an investment decision. All these efforts will bring a lower energy price, and one that is predictable,” Skrekas said.

He also highlighted investments in electricity interconnections and renewed interest in “forgotten” projects, such as the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, which were making the country a critical node of the European energy map.

In addition, Skrekas said, Greece was also gaining the capacity to become an exporter of clean renewable energy in the near future, with the growth of renewables expected to generate savings of 2.0 billion euros in 2023 from money spent to import electricity.