Filenews 4 January 2026 - by Chrysanthos Manoli
The concern expressed on Friday by the Auditor General, speaking on "From Day to Day" of RIK1, about the delays or even contradictions in the major open issues of the natural gas terminal and the electrical interconnection, but also about the long-term inaction for the EAC's entry into the utilization of energy from photovoltaics, caused a sensation in public opinion, obviously because she realizes that Andreas Papakonstantinou's concern is genuine, well-founded and justified.
The information of Fileleftheros states that the statements of the Auditor General were made not as a prelude to the next actions of the Audit Office, but as a result of investigations and other contacts that are ongoing and will be completed soon.
As far as the relationship between the EAC and photovoltaics is concerned, we are informed that towards the end of January, a large report by the Audit Office on the EAC will be published, covering serious operational and management issues, including the unexpectedly low penetration of the state electricity agency in Renewable Energy Sources, at a time when a powerful oligopoly of private energy entrepreneurs has been created, with licenses from CERA, which is exploiting the field of RES exploitation, without consumers in their vast majority benefiting financially.
It is not known whether a conclusion or observation of the Audit Office has already been specified as to the responsibilities of the management and management of the EAC (in previous years), the Ministry of Energy under the previous Government and CERA. We understand that, as is often the case in the search for responsibility, one service puts the blame on the other and no one recognizes its own negligence or omission.
We also understand that Mr. Papaconstantinou and his colleagues working on the research feel strongly about the final result, regardless of where all or part of the blame should ultimately be attributed: The prolonged inaction – delay of the EAC in claiming and obtaining permits for large photovoltaic parks, in order to reduce its weighted average cost per kilowatt hour and to give cheaper electricity to the mass of household consumers is clearly not attributable in simple failure, but in criminal, as we have been told, energy, which served and suited a small group of private producers of electricity from RES and private energy suppliers, who got rich during the "transitional regulation of electricity" and now reap great economic benefits in the competitive electricity market, without the EAC being able to compete with them, in the absence of many large privately owned photovoltaic parks, but also in the absence of natural gas and modern – efficient units...
The information of Fileleftheros also states that the Audit Office is deeply concerned about the phenomena of organization or cooperation/understanding between private "players" in the competitive energy market, worrying that a private cartel is being created, without even trying to hide, to the detriment of the interests of consumers.
At the center of the Audit Office's attention has been the newly established Association of Representatives of Electricity Suppliers (S.E.P.H.E.), which held its founding meeting at the end of November, with the aim of "meeting the need of suppliers for specialized and exclusive representation, operating in addition to the existing schemes of the energy market".
As the association represents private entrepreneurs, it is possible that the PSC will also be called upon to examine the legality of the establishment of an association for joint action of electricity suppliers, even though they must in fact be and appear to be competitors.
– Regarding the floating liquefied natural gas regasification unit, Mr. Papakonstantinou said that time was given for the completion of the works at the end of December. If this has not been done, he told RIK, we will ask to buy services to send an auditor to check what is happening.
– Mr. Papakonstantinou identified contradictions on the electrical interconnection: On the one hand, the Government declares that it is committed to the completion of the strategic project of the cable and on the other hand states that the next steps will be taken after an update study is completed. We will ask, he said, for information on both of these major issues, which keep consumers trapped in very high electricity prices, without natural gas and without competition from foreign energy entrepreneurs.
