Hydrocarbon exploration contracts to be ratified by Parliament in Sept.
At least two contracts for hydrocarbon exploration, in the Patras Gulf and the Ioannina field, will be brought before Parliament for ratification in September, Environment, Energy and Climate Change Minister Yiannis Maniatis said Monday.
Speaking to private Mega television, Maniatis said, "Parliament will learn, investigate and ratify the first state contracts with private contractors relating to how Greece's mineral assets are developed."
Following the signing, "the contractor will be ordered by the state to proceed to exploration. Therefore, we shall see developments within 2014, I believe," he added.
On the blackout on Santorini, one of Europe's most popular destinations that lost power for several days following a fire at a power station, Maniatis said the cause of the accident is unknown, but such a blackout will not happen again.