Next week, the Greek government will resume talks with Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR on the sale of a controlling interest in Greece’s gas transmission system operator DESFA, the Ekathimerini newspaper quoted Panos Skourletis, the productive reconstruction, environment and energy minister of Greece, as saying July 29.
The main topic of discussion, as Skourletis said, will be the share in DESFA, which will be sold to SOCAR.
In early May, Bloomberg reported that Greece’s government is considering the sale of 49 percent share in DESFA to SOCAR.
SOCAR won a tender in December 2013 on the sale of the 66 percent share in DESFA for 400 million euros.
Currently, the deal is being considered by European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition, and the procedure will last until late 2015.
In November 2014, the European Commission started an inquiry into the compliance of the deal on acquisition of a stake in DESFA with the EU’s regulations.
SOCAR is the sole producer of oil products in Azerbaijan. It has two oil refineries on its balance sheet, and also owns filling stations in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Romania and Switzerland.
SOCAR is also the co-owner of Turkey’s largest petrochemical complex Petkim and other assets in Turkey.
The company is currently carrying out work as part of ensuring the Azerbaijani gas supplies to Europe.
Work is underway in this regard within the second stage of development of the Shah Deniz offshore gas and condensate field, and for expansion of the South Caucasus Pipeline.
Aside from that projects are being developed for construction of the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
