Gas: Greece to launch offshore exploration this winter

Greece will launch this winter seismic surveys at sea in search of natural gas, announced the Greek public group of hydrocarbon management ensuring that everything would be implemented to protect marine animals.

“The explorations will take place during the winter months of next year in order to minimize any environmental impact,” HEREMA said, adding that the explorations would take place in the northern Ionian Sea and off western and southwestern Crete.

In April, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that Greece was preparing to accelerate gas exploration.

“As a country, we need to know for sure if there are exploitable natural gas reserves, we will know for sure at the end of 2023″, he had said.

Environmental organizations have repeatedly criticized energy exploration in areas of western Greece that are key habitats for whales, turtles and dolphins, some of which are protected species.

In February, 15 organizations called for a halt to prospecting after several Cuvier’s beaked whales stranded on the Greek coast.

HEREMA assured Tuesday that for future explorations a protocol of “progressive launch” would be put in place in order “to ensure marine mammals the possibility to temporarily leave the seismic exploration area before its beginning”.

This protocol includes a 30-minute waiting period before the start and end of each search and underwater acoustic monitoring to detect the presence of marine mammals.