The first solid data from seismic research conducted in the Ionian Sea and the sea region west-southwest of Crete will be available by the end of 2023 and this data will be the base on which a decision on whether to carry out exploratory drilling will be made, hydrocarbon industry sources said on Monday.
Speaking to reporters, on the sidelines of an event organised by the Hellenic Hydrocarbons and Energy Resources Management Company S.A. (HEREMA S.A.) to present a “white book” on CO2 storage, the same sources said that Energean was expected to begin its first exploratory drilling in Ioannina.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking from Crete, said that the New Democracy government put on track for the first time fundamental seismic surveys in southwest Crete and the data from the surveys was now being examined by the company to find out with certainty if there were hydrocarbons or natural gas in the region. He added that if the answer was affirmative, procedures will run fast in order to have the first natural gas drillings in 2026.
The Hellenic Hydrocarbons and Energy Resources Management Company is monitoring the process of interpreting the data from the seismic surveys and adherence to timetables set for hydrocarbon exploration. In Ioannina, the first drilling in Giourganista is officially scheduled for this year, but since the environmental license is still pending, a more realistic target is to begin drilling in 2024. Energean owns 100% of research and exploration rights in the region.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
