The tender for the Greek natural gas network operator DESFA is put in a new lights as there is a common desire of the European Union and the United States to strengthen alternative routes for the supply of energy to Europe, sidestepping Russia, says ekathimerini.com.
A consortium including Romanian state company Transgaz and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), led by Spanish company Reganosa, is one of the two bidders for a 66 percent stake in Greece’s gas grid operator DESFA, according to a press release of the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF).
Sources say it is a clear message by Brussels and Washington in favor of the Romanian company, which can serve the vertical route linking Romania, Hungary, Austria, Bulgaria and Greece, ensuring the transmission of gas from the Caspian Sea to Central Europe, according to ekathimerini.com.
For Transgaz, the bid is the first major step outside Romania, in an area dominated for decades by Russian giant Gazprom, the main gas supplier of the countries from the region.
The second bidder was a consortium of Italy’s Snam, Spain’s Enagas Internacional and Belgium’s Fluxys.