Government unveils 12-year strategic energy plan

[Ellinas]

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis met Thursday with Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas, who presented the premier with a report on Greece's strategic energy plan for the period 2008-2020, before also delivering the report to Parliament President Anna Psarouda-Benaki.

Sioufas told reporters that the report detailed the present and future situation in Greece's energy balance as well as the international developments in energy issues. He added that the report further recorded the energy scenaria with respect to anticipated energy trends both in Greece and around the world up to 2020.

"Based on this report, but also the energy policy followed by the government, we aim at energy supply security and protection of the environment, allowing those propsects to render our economy even more productive and competitive," he said, explaining that regional development, on the basis of the country's energy needs both in the present and the future, were included in this framework.

Sioufas called the report a "very significant tool". He that the second part of the report was slated for completion by the end of December, and would be put to public debate so that proposals of political parties, the business community and social partners would be heard with respect to the energy sector.

ANA-MPA