Despite announcing its completion of a 25.1 million-euro investment, DESFA, the natural gas grid operator, has failed to satisfy RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, which summoned operator officials for a hearing on project delays and costs concerning the grid’s infrastructure.
Concerns raised by the recent energy crisis prompted the authority to make this move. RAE has requested further details on the reasons behind project delays, according to energypress sources.
DESFA’s completed investment program includes progress of a second upgrade at the LNG terminal on Revythoussa, an islet just off Athens, as well as the delivery of metric stations enabling grid connections for production units operated by Thisvi, Protergia and Korinthos Power.
Even so, major delays observed by RAE in the development of a third LNG storage tank at the Revythoussa facility dominated yesterday’s hearing. At this stage, it appears this addition will not be ready by next winter. The third tank’s completion was originally expected even sooner.
DESFA officials primarily attributed the delay to technical matters.
The authority is also examining whether the contractor developing the Revythoussa upgrade project has anything to do with the delay. The project’s final cost, which influences network usage tariffs, is also being looked at by RAE.
SOURCE
