ATHENS - Russian gas giant Gazprom has filed an independent bid for gas assets in Greece - DEPA and DESFA, the Greek publication Imerisia reports.
The company has addressed the possibility of taking part in a tender with its long-term Greek partner Copelouzos Bros, with which it has a joint venture known as Prometheus Gas.
According to Imerisia, DEPA could be worth about EUR 1 billion and DESFA EUR 500 million, but the two companies might top EUR 2 billion in value in the eventuality of a deal.
Russia is also represented by the group Sintez, and its Negusneft.
State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) is also in the bidding. After Azerbaijani gas began being exported to Europe it arrives in Greece, but it is not sold by SOCAR there but is re-exported by Turkey.
The Czech state energy company CEZ group, Edison and Eni of Italy, Spain’s Enagas and Gas Natural, the Chinese gas-distribution company ENN, Israel’s energy holding Israel Corp., Mitsui of Japan, Algeria’s Sonatrach, Vopak of the Netherlands, Greece’s GEK Terna, and the Mytilineos and Motor Oil (M2M) consortium are also in the running.
Experts point out that though the Greek gas-transport assets are not highly attractive commercially, they represent a serious argument in the competition between the two gas pipeline systems that are planned to run through the region: South Stream, and Nabucco and its like.
