Month: July 2022

Act of War

by Evgenia P. Tsatsaki

Last year, again in the Greek hot July, we talked about Life and Death Energy and came to a mortally important conclusion about life: If energy is not used, focusing on Man and his Culture, if it does not strengthen the universal memory of freedom and freedom itself, then there is no point in meeting for energy, there is no point in talking about Energy. It is a national and global responsibility, an individual responsibility, the Energy that will be produced to defend and serve Man and his noblest manifestations[1].

We had to get to the invasion of the Russians in Ukraine, whose strategic depth was reduced and spread out by crushing their neighborhood, in order to feel and understand the necessity, the value of the above conclusion. An action that has dressed up the threat of nuclear power, that feeds dangerous scenarios, that shakes economies on a global scale and that meets the demand for security en masse and universally. The war had to be fought in Ukraine in order to feel our energy nakedness in our own skin, our homes had to be drown economically in order to understand, most of us perhaps not yet, the energy dependence on Russia and the consequences of this dependence. See how comfortable are the Americans. They are not so dependent on Russia. Who is going to stop Russia, which still feels invincible?

The missile attack on Ukraine that hit a military target on June 26 coincided with the G7 leaders’ summit and is another signal from Putin[2] in all directions. Also, “boosted by oil and gas revenues, the Russian economy is experiencing a much less severe recession than Ukraine. Indifferent to public opinion, the Russian army seems not to care about how many of its soldiers are dying. For all these reasons, Putin may well believe that a long war of attrition is his to win it, not only in southern and eastern Ukraine but ultimately in Kiev and beyond[3]. This beyond is also concerns us as a country and as a member of the European Union and NATO.

“In this war, as in the past, it is not only the goals that shape the battles, but also the battles that shape the goals. In 1939, Britain’s war to maintain Polish independence became a war to overthrow Hitler and recapture Germany. Until 1945, America’s war to curb Japan’s Asian expansionism and retaliation for Pearl Harbor was a plan to eradicate European empires, establish an open world economic order, and save Europe from communist, and not just Nazi, dictatorship.[4]” Europe is once again in the spotlight.

The invasion of Ukraine concerns us and attacks us in various ways. It vilifies humanity, greek culture and spirit, the essence of our psychosynthesis. As a country that gave birth to the ceasefire of the Olympic Games, the asylum of ancient Greek temples for the persecuted, we are surprised by the unspeakable barbarity of Russia: looting, deportation, rape, murder. “These are moral facts that will modify and will have to modify or even outweigh the coldly geopolitical calculations of the European balance of power[5].” Putin is not willing to respect or abide by the Geneva Convention or the United Nations Convention on Genocide[6].

The solution that is preferred as the fairest, safest and most sustainable for us and worldwide, is the immediate defeat of Russia with the help of America and Europe[7]. A solution that serves Man and serves our survival in the future. Who or who will prevent the appetite of extending Putin-style living space to other little gentlemen? Sweden and Finland rushed to join NATO in panic, in the face of developments. Are there any allies? Ladies and gentlemen, we are on our own. There is no need for much perception to this. Alliances exist and are respected when all those involved have a common interest, so history teaches.

Since 1903 we have known that there are hydrocarbon deposits in Greece. We had to get to 1960 to start some investigations and these convulsive ones. The decades have revealed the web of our deadly inaction due to the non-definition of an EEZ, leading to the first serious research intervention in 1997 and consequently to the “Seismic” incident. No matter how much companies express interest in mining in the Greek seas, no matter how many rights our country has in the definition of an EEZ, if there is no political will, we will remain extras in the repeated theater of the absurd with the neighboring country and worldwide.

Since 1903 we have known that there are hydrocarbon deposits in Greece. We had to get to 1960 to start some investigations and these convulsive ones. The decades have revealed the web of our deadly inaction due to the non-definition of an EEZ, leading to the first serious research intervention in 1997 and consequently to the “Seismic” incident. No matter how much companies express interest in mining in the Greek seas, no matter how many rights our country has in the definition of an EEZ, if there is no political will, we will remain extras in the repeated theater of the absurd with the neighboring country and worldwide. Illiberal and non-autonomous energetically, carried away in voluntarism. The poet of the Greek summer sounds “the king the sun lives”, but we look as other tettiges, afraid to take over the domination of our enclosed sea. We belong to NATO. So what? We belong to the European Union. All right. We have not defined an EEZ, so how will we have investments of this caliber in a precarious environment? How do we get rid of policies of fear and hostage-taking? Until when will we give a push to Putin-type dictators to be able at any time and time to change the status quo of the Greek area?

I will not carry out technocratic and economic analyses, since I am an archaeologist. A motto sentence is “do it like Cyprus”. With politics and geostrategics, activating EU policies and institutions, opening channels of the highest diplomacy and concluding economic alliances, no matter how much the gentleman from the east shouts, we can achieve the maximum.

The natural borders of our country, our seas, are splashing the solutions and the listening ears are desperately demanded. South and southwest of Crete, the deposit, nearby lies Egypt. The contribution of Byzantine civilization as the guardian of the Greek and at the same time cradle of Europe is indisputable. The existence of Europe as a geographical designation, state and political continuity, is born and flourished in Byzantium, in its endurance for 1000 years and in the walls of the City[8]. St. Catherine of Justinian on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, chosen here as a fitting example, remains a living reminder of the universality of Hellenism. I remember I was at the University of Crete, still a student (2013) at the Department of History and Archaeology and my professor in Byzantine archaeology was recounting an incident that took place in the Sinai Peninsula. She directed the excavation in the surrounding area of the homonymous monastery, when she and the entire mission faced a military threat. The last bulwark defending humanity and freedom was the Bedouins, the descendants of those who were ordered by Justinian in the 6th century AD and promised by future generations later, to guard the monastery and its people to this day.

Bedouins still keep their promise 1500 years later. The reason? It’s simple. Their survival depends largely on the monastery, which in turn helps its guards. They keep this tradition alive in order to keep themselves alive. They do not need international treaties, perhaps because they are now easily violated, such as the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, which the Russians and other countries threw at the Ukrainians for the safety of the former and which was ruthlessly violated by all. In the case of St. Catherine of Sinai, both sides understand their interest. Do we? Memory and emotion coheres our Humanity. Think about it. It weighs heavily geopolitically and geostrategically, weighs heavily on and outweighs technocratic and economic analyses, because it establishes our existence.

[1] Evgenia P. Tsatsaki, Energy of life and death, Presentation at the 5th Pancretan Energy Conference, Heraklion 8 July 2021.

[2] Institute for the study of war,  Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, Press ISW, 26 June 2022.

[3] Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic Column, Defeating Putin is the only route to peace in Ukraine, 23 May 2022.

[4] Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, What victory will look like in Ukraine, There will be no return to normally or status quo ante, 11 May 2022 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/05/ukraine-russia-goals-win-war/629815/

[5] Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, What victory will look like in Ukraine, There will be no return to normally or status quo ante, 11 May 2022.

[6] Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic Column, Defeating Putin is the only route to peace in Ukraine, 23 May 2022.  https://www.anneapplebaum.com/2022/05/23/defeating-putin-is-the-only-route-to-peace-in-ukraine/

[7] As above, see also Dymtro Kuleba, How Ukraine will win,, Foreign Affairs The Hellenic Edition

https://www.foreignaffairs.gr/articles/73719/dmytro-kuleba/pos-tha-kerdisei-i-oykrania

[8] Panagiotis K. Kanellopoulos, The Essays, vol. II, Historical Essays. Ed. Society of Friends Pan. Kanellopoulos, Athens 2002, pp. 246-255.

by CEO of DEPA Mr. K. Xifaras Writes for the International Energy Exhibition of Greece

Today, the energy sector, both in Greece and worldwide, is faced with a series of challenges and unforeseen factors which highlight, now more than ever, the need for a holistic approach to energy matters. The need to contain energy costs and support the society, on one hand, and the process of energy transition, on the other, have created a situation in which the market needs to find a balance which will ensure both the country’s energy efficiency and its survival in sustainable terms.

While trying to solve this difficult equation, the role of natural gas, as a bridge, fuel proves to be decisive for shaping the future of the energy market, given the diversification of energy sources and routes of supply and transport, as well as the expansion of storage capacity. DEPA Commercial, which consistently serves these strategic priorities, has been developing a multi-level strategy for the last three years that has proven to be particularly effective. A strategy with double focus: the verticalization and expansion of corporate activities, and the seamless transition to “green” energy, both of which are national goals described in the National Energy and Climate Plan and the European Green Agreement, enhancing our country’s role as a regional energy hub for the wider Southeast European region.

In order to cover the country’s immediate energy needs and to shield its energy security, DEPA Commercial is increasing the supply of LNG either through current contracts or through the spot market, while having already secured long-term agreements on more favorable terms. At the same time, the company is investing in important infrastructure projects and programs, which are drastically reshaping the energy status quo of the region and are contributing decisively to the process of Europe’s independence from Russian gas, such as the Greek-Bulgarian pipeline – IGB and the offshore LNG terminal (FSRU) in Alexandroupolis. Both, projects which will significantly increase the capacity of supply and storage of both Greece and the neighboring countries it serves.

TAP, Poseidon and EastMed are equally important pipeline projects, with the latter returning dynamically to the forefront as a result of the energy crisis, since it will enable the transport of natural gas from the fields of the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe. To that direction, DEPA Commercial is currently in advanced discussions with trading companies from Israel and Egypt.

In this way, a safety net is established regarding the security of supply in the wider region, which upgrades Greece’s geopolitical status by transforming it into a regulatory factor in the energy landscape.

Simultaneously, given the enhanced importance of natural gas, we have designed a comprehensive strategy aiming, on the one hand to expand the use of natural gas, both geographically and in terms of uses, and on the other hand to create the conditions for the development and utilization of renewable and alternative forms of energy. Keeping this in mind, DEPA Commercial is leading the developments towards the transition to a greener economy by designing and implementing initiatives that promote the further penetration of natural gas in the country’s energy mix, as a transitional fuel on the way to cleaner energy forms. The company also contributes substantially to the promotion of gas mobility and the use of cutting-edge technologies, such as Small-Scale LNG and CNG, thus expanding even further the natural gas network and ensuring distribution even in the most inaccessible areas. At the same, time, emphasis is placed on the development of a sustainable and efficient LNG supply chain for maritime transport that will increase the growth prospects of the Greek shipping sector.

With its sights on the future, DEPA Commercial is already active in the field of Renewable Energy Sources by creating a “green” portfolio that exceeds 200 MW of photovoltaic parks, and is also developing projects, infrastructure and technologies which will be able to serve in the future even “greener” energy such as hydrogen and biomethane.

Moreover, at DEPA Commercial we have proven that we operate always considering pertinent societal issues and, for this reason, with a true sense of responsibility we are contributing decisively to the absorption of a significant percentage of the rise in international gas prices, through the implementation of targeted market interventions aimed at supporting households and businesses, in full cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

With a solid vision and through hard work, DEPA Commercial is today an integrated energy company, with strong bases, operating vertically and according to modern corporate governance terms. We are meticulously planning our next steps and we are creating the conditions to successfully meet the ever-changing needs of the market and the economy.