DESFA marked a strong presence at this year’s Delphi Economic Forum IX. Maria Rita Galli, DESFA CEO, participated in two panel discussions on Thursday, April 11, 2024, stressing the importance of achieving a critical balance between economic viability, environmental sustainability, and energy supply security in our journey towards the energy transition. Within this framework, Ms. Galli referred on DESFA’s contribution to establishing Greece as an energy gateway, while being committed to the decarbonization and resilience of the energy system, developing a series of future-proof infrastructures.
During her speech at the panel discussion under the title “The Energy Mix - Hydrocarbon Exploration and a Balanced Path to Clean Energy”, DESFA CEO, Maria Rita Galli highlighted the country’s key position and potential to serve as an energy gateway for the whole East Med region, while achieving its targets for the energy transition, provided that there is a non-biased, neutral approach towards all technologies and remembering that no energy transition can happen without energy security and a resilient energy system.
Ms. Galli highlighted the importance of interconnectivity and resilience of our systems, stressing that DESFA and the whole Greek gas industry has delivered during the recent energy crisis and the war in Ukraine and is now putting a lot of effort to decarbonize itself. The CEO of DESFA noted that gas is an inevitable pathway to enable the energy transition, and a key partner replacing coal and oil, stressing that there are more sectors, beyond the power sector, that are critical to decarbonize. To that end, the right balance between the role of gas in the middle term and the role of new energy sources needs to be struck to achieve our targets for the energy transition.
Speaking at the panel discussion “Forging the Energy Transition Landscape: Navigating the Road to 2030”, Maria Rita Galli highlighted that today’s gas technologies—such as pipelines, regasification facilities, and CCGTs (Combined Cycle Gas Turbines)—are already significantly contributing to the integration of renewables, balancing crucial fluctuations, and bridging the gap in electricity supply. With the introduction of new, more efficient and lower-emission CCGTs, the role of gas becomes even more important for the successful penetration of renewables.
She concluded, saying that we must capitalize on this synergy and strive for its further optimization, while decarbonizing the overall gas value chain, introducing other ways of decarbonizing power production with gas, such as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) or blending with hydrogen once this becomes economically feasible. This strategic approach will maximize the benefits of gas-fired generation, ensuring our effective transition to cleaner energy sources and a more sustainable future.
DESFA offers a cost-effective pathway to decarbonization, that could transform Greece into a multi-molecule hub for a carbon neutral future, ensuring a smooth and just transition, leaving no one behind.
