Greece in talks with Iran to buy LNG, deliver fuel to Europe
Greek Energy Minister Panos Skourletis says Athens is in talks with Tehran to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) for domestic needs.
He added that Greece also seeks to provide a gateway for Iran to supply fuel to other parts of Europe.
“What’s sure is that Iran wants to start selling its natural gas in liquefied form using ships and is interested in Greece,” Skourletis said.
Iran is considering both the Revythousa re-gasification terminal near Athens and a planned facility at Alexandroupolis in the north of the country “for exporting to Europe,” the Greek minister added.
In January, Greece’s main oil refiner Hellenic Petroleum SA reached an agreement with Iran for importing crude oil following the lifting of international sanctions against Tehran.
“Hellenic Petroleum (HELPE) and the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) have reached a long term agreement...” that “includes cooperation for the supply of crude oil, with immediate start of deliveries,” HELPE said in a statement.
The agreement was reached following a meeting between Iran’s deputy petroleum minister Amir-Hossein Zamaninia and Skourletis in Athens on January 22.
The Greek refiner was a major buyer of Iranian crude before sanctions were slapped on Iran in 2011 over the country’s nuclear program.
Earlier this month, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, heading a politico-economic delegation, paid an official visit to Iran, where he discussed energy and economic ties with Iranian officials.
During Tsipras’ visit, Iran and Greece agreed to strengthen cooperation on a wide range of issues, including energy and commerce.
“Greece will become an energy, economic and trade bridge between Iran and European Union,” Tsipras said in Tehran.
Earlier this month, Iranian Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh also said that Iran plans to sell 300,000 barrels of crude a day to European customers.
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