Greek Energy Minister: Greece Could Be a "Hub" For Gas

Greece could be a hub for gas transit, Greek Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change Giorgos Papakonstantinou has said.

In an interview with Israeli news site, The Jerusalem Post, Minister Papakonstantinou said that Greece hoped to be a transit country for European gas supply.

"We are trying to make Greece the hub for gas transit to northern European countries either via Italy or through the Balkans," he said.

He said that Greece would be considering importing Israeli gas in this context.

"There’s been a lot of discussion on looking at the technical and financial feasibility for pumping Israeli gas to Greece," he said. The country is also looking at importing gas from the Caspian Sea.

The minister's comments were aired on the same day as gas firms called for the Israeli government to allow gas exports, especially to Europe and Asia.

"To get investors to develop and lay infrastructure ... and fund projects of this type, you need to open the market spectrum, which means export, export, export," Reuters reports the CEO of Delek Energy Gideon Tadmor as saying.

"We think there is a really compelling case for natural gas exports," vice president for the Eastern Mediterranean for Noble Energy Lawson Freeman said.

Noble is currently involved in the Tamar Field and the Leviathan project in the Mediterranean Sea with Israel.