Chevron entry elevates Greece geopolitically

US vigor elephantine Chevron has submitted a associated bid with Greece’s HelleniQ Energy to research 4 offshore blocks south of Crete and the Peloponnese, Greece’s vigor curate said Wednesday, marking a improvement Athens sees arsenic strengthening its sovereign rights successful disputed waters.

The authorities launched the tender earlier this year aft Chevron and HelleniQ expressed involvement successful deep-sea exploration. Bids closed Wednesday astatine 5 p.m.

“Today, the Chevron and HelleniQ Energy consortium announced its information successful the planetary contention for the 4 offshore blocks south of Crete and the Peloponnese. This opens a caller section for the exploitation of the underwater vigor wealth of our homeland,” Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou said. “Greece, with nationalist self-confidence, is laying solid foundations for its vigor self-sufficiency and leveraging its geopolitical presumption successful the Eastern Mediterranean,” Papastavrou added.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called Chevron’s bid “the champion impervious of however our authorities understands the upgrading of Greece’s geopolitical position.”

He besides announced plans to conscionable Thursday with US Interior Secretary Doug Bergman to sermon “how we are continually upgrading Greece’s strategic, geopolitical and vigor role.”

Chevron confirmed the associated bid successful a statement to Kathimerini, saying it looked guardant to completing tender evaluations and emphasized the region’s strategic importance: “Chevron has a ample and important presumption successful the Eastern Mediterranean, a portion which is very overmuch a portion of our aboriginal and a precedence for us.”

HelleniQ Energy said its information consolidates its exploration and accumulation activities, calling Chevron’s determination a “new state entry.”

Greece views the task arsenic a effect to Turkey’s maritime claims under a memorandum signed with Libya’s Tripoli government, which disputes Greece’s rights astir Crete.

Athens, heavy reliant connected state imports, is seeking home resources arsenic portion of a broader European Union propulsion to trim dependence connected Russian vigor aft Moscow’s penetration of Ukraine. Major discoveries disconnected Egypt person fueled expectations that Greek waters whitethorn clasp untapped reserves. The country borders two blocks where ExxonMobil and partners person conducted seismic surveys.