The strong interest of global energy groups, that has emerged in international competitions, allows us to be confident that Greece, beyond an energy hub, can also become a producer country .The recent agreement with ExxonMobil, Total and Hellenic Petroleum for the two marine "blocks" south and southwest of Crete, as well as the one that will follow with Repsol and Hellenic Petroleum for the offshore block of the Ionian, demonstrate the investment trust towards Greece.

The new contract cycle was opened in the Total-Edison-HELPE joint venture for area 2, west of Corfu, which was signed last year and is a model contract for the continuation.

Based on the experience and know-how of large industry groups and the best practices of other countries, a new, coordinated exploration of potential hydrocarbon deposits opens with significant benefits for the public and local communities.

In the past, the market had expressed dissatisfaction with delays in approvals, signatures, etc. in order to start. Now, these "complaints" have been limited and almost all admit that things are going much faster than they were three or five years ago. Are there any changes to reduce bureaucracy?

Our goal is to improve and complement the existing institutional framework, in order to respond to the new circumstances, dictated by international interest. We seek to reduce bureaucracy, in order to reduce, for example, the time elapsed between the expression of interest and the signing of contracts. In partnership with HHRM, we have already achieved significant results, managing to reduce it to just 6 months. It is indicative that interest in Crete took place in March and contracts were initialed in late September.

Is it possible to see some of the "energy" privatizations (HELPE, PPC, DEPA) canceled?

All procedures for privatizations are evolving normally, ensuring that they serve the public interest in the best possible way and follow rules of absolute transparency. In this direction, the current government overturned New Democracy's policy of massive and unprepared privatizations in the energy sector.

We focused on the adaptation of the institutional framework to the community (whether it is RES, PPC' s position on the lignite market or the sale of 66% of DESFA), the maintenance of the infrastructure under public control and the safeguarding of its interests country. This strategy led us to the separation of infrastructure from the commercial activities of DEPA, to the maintenance of important public rights in the hydroelectric investigations, undertaken by the Hellenic Petroleum and to the sale by PPC of less than 10% of its lignite potential.

All these privatizations are progressing according to our design and will be completed before the end of the year.

How do you value international interest in energy investment in Greece?

In the energy sector, a significant flow of investment has taken place, with the involvement of reliable international companies in major projects that highlight Greece as an energy hub, in the wider region. In this context, taking advantage of the geographical location of the country, we have promoted key gas projects, such as pipelines (TAP, IGB and EastMed) and LNG reception infrastructures (FSRU in Alexandroupolis).

At the same time, reaching ambitious and binding targets for addressing climate change, requires the development of Renewable Energy Sources (RES). In 2018-20, with the new competitive procedures we have instituted, investments of 2.6 GW of RES will be invested, which will exceed 2.5 billion euros. Already in the first contest, the interest of foreign investors was particularly intense.