VASILIKOS TERMINAL - BOTH MINI AND MAXI DESIGN BEFORE RESUMING WORKS - Filenews Chrysanthos Manoli 25/2
The realization of a plan, even of a limited extent, for the constructions required for the completion of the natural gas terminal in Vasilikos is considered necessary, before tenders are announced by ETYFA to find a new contractor, who will undertake to deliver it ready for use.
This, as Fileleftheros is informed, is the safe conclusion reached by DEFA and ETYFA and they will move in this direction in the coming period.
However, Technip, the project manager chosen by the state-owned company, does not believe that a mini-design is enough for the new contractor to be able to proceed with the unfinished project with reliability and guarantees of success. Our information indicates that Technip is requesting an extensive redesign of the project, before work resumes. This is also the conclusion from the gap analysis delivered to ETYFA on December 19, 2025.
An extensive redesign of the terminal, however, would require many months and a lot of money. Which money could hardly be secured by ETYFA, with the approval of the Central Committee for Changes and Requirements.
And these are the two main reasons why ETYFA is oriented towards assigning to Technip the responsibility to carry out in a short period of time a planning for the absolutely necessary, in order to cover some of the gaps identified with its previous study and immediately afterwards to prepare the conditions for a new tender to find a contractor.
It is considered very likely that the terms of the new tender will provide for the obligation of the selected contractor to carry out a more demanding design, before starting work on the completion of the pier and the onshore infrastructure.
In short, the project cannot proceed without a new design (initially on a small scale by Technip and then on a larger scale by the new contractor) on many aspects, including the assessment of the suitability of the material and equipment that the Chinese CPP had procured and remains unused. If part of these materials is deemed unsuitable by the new contractor, to the extent that he will not assume responsibility for its use, he will be given the option of procuring other equipment. In the meantime, an effort will be made to secure certificates for some materials from the manufacturing companies.
The difficulty for schedules
From the above, it can be concluded that the reluctance of the board of directors of ETYFA and the Minister of Energy, Michalis Damianos, to talk about specific timetables for the completion of the terminal at the last meeting of the Energy Committee in the Parliament was not unjustified.
What has been completed recently is the evaluation of the gap analysis by ETYFA and the determination of the steps that must be taken as a matter of priority in the coming period. But no one is in a position to determine the time it will take for the project manager to complete the mini design, finalize the documents for the tender and make the official invitation to contractors, either through an open tender or through a pre-selection of 4-5 companies that can undertake the project from the point where CPP abandoned it.
What is certain is that the Government has decided that the project will be completed, no matter how long it takes. For the cost of completing the works, however, nothing can be mentioned at this stage, as everything will depend on the tender documents and the final design that will be done by the contractor that will be selected.
The information of Fileleftheros states that the announcement of offers should not be expected before next summer. The process of submission, evaluation and award cannot be reliably predicted. Beyond that, the projects are duly estimated to require about 30 months to complete, from the day they start.
