The way, the cost, and the pitfalls of the energy transition were analysed by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Mr. Theodoros Skylakakis at the 9th Delphi Economic Forum, which is taking place in Delphi on 10-13 April and is held under the auspices of the A.E. of the President of the Republic, Mrs. Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

"The cost of the energy transition is a function of how you do it and how carefully you plan it. Money to do both luxury transition and basic adaptation to climate change does not exist. We have to be prudent and efficient in our choices," the Environment and Energy Minister explained, in a discussion with Energypress journalist Thodoris Panagoulis. He argued that climate change is a given for the next 30 years, which is why we need to set aside money for adaptation, while pushing harder at the level of international negotiations to avoid setting even more ambitious climate targets.

Unfolding the planning of the Ministry of Environment and Energy, Mr.Skylakakis stressed that the national strategy includes the fewest possible subsidies, with the aim that where technologies mature, there are no subsidies at all. "We are no longer giving tariffs for renewables, we are ending net metering and moving to net billing," he said, noting that "the structure of the entire system should be developed so that investments are in line with real needs and demand."

He also noted that the country will have excess energy and needs an integrated system (batteries, storage, and interconnections) to harness it. "You cause more harm instead of benefit if you run the investments faster than the rest of the system," he added.