The exciting outlook for hydrocarbon exploration and production in the entire Black Sea, East Mediterranean and South East European region was highlighted in the 2nd Global Oil & Gas South East Europe and Mediterranean Conference & Exhibition, that took place on 28 and 29 September 2016 at the Metropolitan Expo exhibition and conference centre in Athens, GreeceThe exciting outlook for
hydrocarbon exploration and production in the entire Black Sea, East
Mediterranean and South East European region was highlighted in the 2nd Global
Oil & Gas South East Europe and Mediterranean Conference & Exhibition,
that took place on 28 and 29 September 2016 at the Metropolitan Expo exhibition
and conference centre in Athens, Greece.
The event was jointly organized by ITE Group, a UK-based international exhibition organizer and ROTA SA, a major exhibition organizer and promoter in Greece, in partnership with the Institute of Energy for SE Europe (IENE) and with Energia.gr, Greece’s leading energy portal, among its media sponsors. Nearly 200 participants and 1000 representatives of energy companies, governments and international organizations attended this landmark event on the latest oil and gas projects and policy priorities for the broader region.
Greece’s Minister of Environment and Energy, Mr. Panagiotis Skourletis, speaking in the opening session of the Conference, stressed the country’s ambition to upgrade its role in the regional energy scene in SE Europe and in the East Mediterranean. According to Mr. Skourletis, TAP and EastMed natural gas pipeline projects as well as the plan for electricity interconnection with Cyprus and Israel are for Greece some of its top priorities towards this end.
From his part, Israel’s Minister of National Infrastructure,
Energy and Water Resources, Mr. Yuval Steinitz, underlined the
significant prospects for Eastern Mediterranean to become a prime source of
energy and especially natural gas for the countries of the EU. Mr. Steinitz
also stressed the importance that energy co-operation with Greece and Cyprus has
for his country.
Moreover, it must be noted that the Energy Ministers of Greece and Israel later
had a meeting in the sidelines of the Conference, where they were joined by
Cyprus’ Minister for Industry and Tourism, Mr. George Lakkotrypis, who flew to
Athens from Cyprus that morning.
Mr. Grigoris Stergioulis,
CEO of Hellenic Petroleum, referred to the overall goals and achievements of the
HELPE group concerning oil refining and marketing in Greece and the broader geographic
area, with newly developed technical and scientific tools and substantial
exports of oil products in all neighboring countries.
Hellenic Petroleum’s
upstream activities and the resurgence of the Greek E&P were analyzed by
the company’s General Manager for Exploration & Production, Mr. Yannis
Grigoriou. More specifically, Mr. Grigoriou referred to the activities of the
company in the Gulf of Patraikos, as well as the onshore concessions in Western
Greece and the three offshore fields in the Northern Ionian and the Gulf of
Kyparissia. Mr. Grigoriou also stressed the company’s plans to develop E&P programmes
in its concessions in the co-operation with major international oil groups.
On the 2nd day of the Conference, Richard Skoufias, TAP's manager for Greece, stated that more than 150 Greek companies have signed contracts with the pipeline’s consortium or with the project’s major contractors (Ellaktor, J&P Avax, TERNA SA and others). He also stressed the excellent level of co-operation between his company and the government, regional authorities and local societies in Greece.
From his part, the Head of
the international activities and projects at DEPA S.A, the Public Gas
Corporation of Greece, Mr. Dimitrios Manolis, described DEPA’s highly
differentiated portfolio, based on a strategy of international synergies and
co-operation. As examples of this strategy, Mr. Manolis noted the participation
of DEPA in the Sah Deniz 2 consortium, as a buyer, and as a partner in IGB
pipeline, the natural gas interconnector between Greece and Bulgaria.
A number of other presentations were made by senior executives and experts covering oil and gas exploration, production and development activities in Croatia, Romania, Turkey, Cyprus and Bulgaria.
Parallel to the Conference, the Global Oil & Gas Exhibition provided an important platform for stakeholders in the region to showcase their products and services, giving the participants the opportunity to strengthen existing relationships and create new ones, especially in the field of new technological developments and innovations, but also discuss future business and learn more about the market.
