Energy Commissioner Kadri Simpson will be visiting Cyprus, the Cypriot Minister for Energy Natasa Pilides said on Friday after the extraordinary meeting of EU Energy Ministers that took place in Brussels.
Pilides said that Commissioner Simpson is expected to visit Cyprus to participate in a conference of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, where she will continue the discussion “on whether the development of the fields in the Cypriot EEZ can be fast-tracked, seeing as Cyprus, being a European region, can be considered a priority in terms of the European Union’s decoupling from Russian gas.”
“Cyprus is in a position to contribute to the strengthening of Europe’s energy security through the discoveries in the Cypriot EEZ,” the Energy Minister said in her statement, referring to “great interest from both European Ministers and the Commissioner” with whom she met after the end of the meeting.
According to a press release issued by the Press and Information Office (PIO), the Energy Minister pointed out during the Ministers’ discussion that the presence of major oil and gas companies in the EEZ of Cyprus can be used to create appropriate synergies towards a sustainable regional gas market, supplying the EU with gas in the near future and hydrogen in the long term.
Referring to the proposed measures to mitigate high energy prices, Pilides said during the discussion that the different energy mix and the different reference points of each Member State, in particular those Member States that do not use natural gas, should be taken into account.
Regarding plans to reform the electricity market, Pilides was among the Ministers who called on the Commission to proceed with a thorough study of the issue. She also urged the Commission to study ways in which the Emissions Trading System (ETS) can help reduce electricity prices.
In the context of the discussion on Member States’ preparedness for winter, Pilides said that at the moment Cyprus is concerned with the impact of the crisis as it is currently isolated from EU energy networks.
She added that although Cyprus is not facing any problems with its fuel supply, the country is nonetheless affected by increased oil prices in all sectors, especially those related to electricity, transport and heating.
Source: Cyprus News Agency