[InTime News]
Deputy Economy and Finance Minister Nikos Papathanasis said on Friday that Greece is entering “a new chapter of responsibility and opportunity” following its agreement with ExxonMobil for offshore drilling.
Speaking in Parliament during a debate on the government’s new tax bill, Papathanasis said the project – Greece’s first offshore drilling operation in 40 years – is expected to begin within two years.
“We will know whether we have commercially exploitable reserves and where they are located, in mutually beneficial partnerships with our strategic ally, the United States,” he said, adding that potential discoveries “will improve Greeks’ daily lives and allow the state to return more of the growth dividend to society.”
He credited the deal to “a consistent and methodical effort” by the prime minister and successive energy ministers since 2019, calling it “proof of the international trust Greece has earned through its steady development and decisive foreign policy.”
Papathanasis concluded that the government would “continue on the same path –building a Greece that is attractive to investors, energy secure, and strong enough to shape its own future.”