Greece aligns with Trump on gas exploration

The government is trying to humour the new president on energy, reminding him that Greece has an important role to play in SEE

Greece’s newest LNG terminal, the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit Alexandroupolis, became operational in October 2024. It is capable of importing 5.5bcm of gas a year, and almost all of its capacity has been sold until 2030.

On January 20, the day US president Donald Trump was sworn in, the Greek government issued a statement hailing the interest of Chevron, the world’s second-largest oil major, in exploring for oil and gas southeast of the Peloponnese.

“This investment marks a very important development which fits into the national strategy for energy independence and reduction of energy costs,” said the government, echoing Trump’s rhetoric about autonomy and affordability.

The government received Chevron’s applications for Block A2 and the South Peloponnese Block (see map below) five months ago, said environment minister Theodoros Skylakakis in an interview with To Vima on Sunday. So Chevron’s interest was hardly new. The government evidently timed the announcement to coincide with Trump’s inauguration.