Hellenic Petroleum

Hellenic Petroleum on Monday announced the acquisition of a solar power park in Kozani with a power of 204 MW, the largest project of renewable energy sources in Greece and one of the top 5 photovoltaic farms in Europe.

The project is currently under development by German company juwi and it is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2021.

During a visit to Ptolemaida, northwestern Greece, over the weekend, Energy Minister Kostis Hatzidakis announced a number of measures to ease the blow to the region from the withdrawal of lignite-fueled power production units.

State sell-off fund TAIPED has recorded strong investor interest in the concession of DEPA Infrastructure, the Public Gas Corporation offshoot that includes only the utility's infrastructure and of which 65 percent belongs to the state and 35 percent to Hellenic Petroleum.
The fund expects at least seven to eight bidders in the first stage of the tender.

After DEPA Infrastructure, the company that has undertaken the natural gas transmission network, it is now time for the privatization process of DEPA Commercial to start. Sources say that, by Friday, state privatization fund TAIPED will have published an invitation for expressions of interest in the sale of the state's 65 percent stake in the gas trading company.

The Greek bourse saw another day of mild gains on Thursday despite the drop in buyers' interest. Rising stocks outnumbered the losers two-to-one and the benchmark inched higher once again, shaking off the impact of the OPAP dividend cut.

The rise of Coca-Cola HBC's stock by 1.95 percent on Friday contained the Greek benchmark's losses somewhat and kept the blue chip index above water at the end of a week of small gains for the local market.

The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index ended at 923.63 points, shedding 0.26 percent from Thursday's 926.06 points. On a weekly basis it improved 0.38 percent.

A large reserve of natural gas off the southern coast of the island of Crete bearing similar features to Egypt's Zohr gas field and Israel's Leviathan in the Eastern Mediterranean has been identified by Hellenic Hydrocarbon Resources Management (EDEY) after an analysis of seismic data from a sea area that also included the Ionian Sea.

Most stocks recorded moderate gains or got a bit of a breather following last Friday's decline in the first trading session after the long weekend, but it appears clear that any disruption will be more likely to come from developments abroad than domestic ones this year.

Initial moves by the center-right government in its first six months in power have contributed to consolidating confidence, laying the groundwork for attracting much-needed investments and strengthening the short-term prospects of the Greek economy, several leading businesspeople tell Kathimerini.

The stocks of former state companies gave the main index of the Greek bourse a major push on Tuesday while the banks' index stayed put. The benchmark rebounded within range of the 900-point level, with daily turnover rising above 100 million euros.