The value of mineral resources, the prospects and the significant contribution of the Hellenic Authority for Geological and Mining Research (EAGME) and Greece’s geostrategic role were highlighted by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Mr. Stavros Papastavrou, speaking at the annual conference of the Hellenic Authority for Geological and Mining Research (EAGME), titled “Earth & Future - Underground solutions for above-ground challenges”.
Referring to the role of EAGME, Mr. Papastavrou stressed that “it is a National Authority with more than a century of public service. It is a timelessly valuable ally of the Greek State for the knowledge, mapping, protection, and also the utilization of the Greek subsoil. At the same time, it constitutes a vigilant scientific guardian for the protection of citizens against natural risks and disasters”.
In response to a question about our country’s strategy regarding critical raw materials, the Minister of Environment and Energy stated: “Our country has a long history in critical raw materials, which is almost unique. What is very important for one to clarify is that solutions in the subsoil are solutions that are carried out with respect for the environment and even more with respect for safety and the local community. The utilization of mineral wealth is a concept fully compatible with the concept of protecting nature and the local community”.
“The political will of the Government is to utilize the natural wealth that Greece has. If we learned anything from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and from the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, it is the paramount importance for every country to reduce its energy dependence,” he said. Mr. Papastavrou pointed out that Europe has fallen behind in the utilization of critical raw materials “and is now discovering the cost of this choice. Europe, in order to remain competitive, must develop its critical minerals today”.
“Our country is among the 4-5 countries that are at the forefront of utilizing mineral wealth. It has the scientific knowledge. It has the human resources. It has the political will of the Government. We need the scientific knowledge of the National Authority”, the Minister of Environment and Energy stated.
In response to a question about the new energy architecture, he noted: “We moved very quickly and we are one of the countries that are at the center of this new architecture. The development of hydrocarbons is not for today or tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. The utilization of our Homeland’s mineral wealth is a national matter. It does not belong exclusively to any political camp. It belongs to the Greeks. It is the wealth of the Greeks. And it must be done with modern methods, with respect for the local community, but without fearfulness”.
“With the developments in the Gulf, one discovers even more the importance of the Eastern Mediterranean,” he also said, while referring to developments regarding the Vertical Corridor, he explained that “it was a difficult undertaking because there was no culture. Our countries had been divided by geography, by ideology, by history. This is now being overcome. That is why the Vertical Corridor, beyond the importance it has for natural gas, has very great value in a change of mindset in Southeastern Europe”.
Mr. Papastavrou also referred to hydrocarbon exploration in Greece, stressing that in mid-February 2027 the first exploratory drilling is expected at the site in Asopos, in the Northwestern Ionian, and by the end of the current year we will have seismic surveys south of Crete and south of the Peloponnese.