Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-08-17

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Inner cabinet focuses on energy sector, oil dependency

[01] Inner cabinet focuses on energy sector, oil dependency

Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas told reporters after an inner Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, that the measure will initially affect public buildings in the greater Athens and Thessaloniki areas as well as the Thessaly province. He also said natural gas connections with public schools and hospitals will be stepped up.

Greece is amongst the biggest importers, percentage wise, of crude oil in the European Union, while the country is also near the top of the list in terms GDP spending for energy.

On the legislative front, Sioufas said draft laws opening the way for better use of bio-fuels and renewable sources of energy will be tabled in September, along with an eagerly-expected bill on deregulating the power and natural gas sector in the country.

Along those lines, the minister said licenses for three new natural gas providers are pending.

Finally, Sioufas said more capacitors will be set up on the national grid as part of efforts to conserve power, an initiative that has already produced results in south-central Greece and the Peloponnese.

The announcements by the inner cabinet on issues of strategy regarding the energy sector "do not offer anything new," main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement's (PASOK) Anna Diamantopoulou, responsible for the party's Development and Competitiveness Sector and Consumer Policy, said on Wednesday in response to announcements made earlier in the day by Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas on energy policy.

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE), responding to Sioufas' announcements, said "the more the price of fuel rises the more the mockery increases."

The Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology (Synaspismos) said that "the Development Ministry with arithmetic magical tricks and fictitious comparisons, attempts to conceal the proftiteering prevailing in the trading and movement of petroleum products in our country."

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article