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DE RUEHTH #0091/01 0421553
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O R 111553Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1520
INFO RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0246
RUEHKB/AMEMBASSY BAKU 0003
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0023
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0111
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS UNCLAS ATHENS 000091 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS:              
SUBJECT: GREECE: Renewable Energy a Top Priority for New Environment 
Minister Birbili; Natural Gas Also Key for Energy Mix 
 
Renewable Energy the Wave of the Future 
 
 1.  In a January 19 courtesy call ambassador paid on new Minister 
for Environment, Energy, and Climate Change Tina Birbili, Birbili 
underscored Greece's desire to increase renewable energy (solar and 
wind) production in the country's energy mix.  She spoke 
passionately of her efforts to introduce new legislation (currently 
in the first reading in Parliament) that would reduce the licensing 
and permitting process from about five years to one.  Moreover, she 
added, the streamlined procedures would help increase transparency, 
reduce bureaucracy, and root out corruption and unethical business 
practices, which plagued the old system. 
 
 2.  Birbili raised her meeting with Department of Energy 
Undersecretary Kristina Johnson on the margins of the Copenhagen 
Climate Change summit, reiterating her strong desire to visit the 
U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, CO. 
The ambassador encouraged greater U.S-Greek cooperation on 
renewable energy and offered to assist making the NREL trip a 
reality. 
 
 3.  Birbili mentioned her plans for two renewable projects (one 
each wind and solar) offshore in the Aegean, where she claimed the 
government would not face traditional opposition for "visual 
pollution" from local citizens.   Despite the EU Natura 2000 
directive, which provides for nature conservancy areas, Birbili was 
confident that Greek public awareness was sufficiently mature to 
accept more wind and solar farms. 
 
 4.  The ambassador raised the Obama Administration's efforts on 
energy efficiency and conservation as something Greece could 
emulate.  Birbili said the new, Greek government had identified 
conservation and efficiency projects in the public sector as 
priorities; however, there were insufficient funds to tackle these 
at the moment. 
 
Greece Lacks a Comprehensive Energy Strategy . . . . 
 
 5.  Turning to broader energy issues, Birbili bemoaned the fact 
that there had not been a long-term national energy plan, which she 
hoped to rectify.  She hoped to have a national strategy in place 
by the end of 2010, addressing Greece's 20-20-20 EU climate change 
commitment.  This would entail increasing current levels of 
renewable energy by 20%, increasing efficiency by 20%, and reducing 
CO2 emissions by 20%.  On conventional energy, Birbili briefed the 
ambassador on Greece's plan to construct new lignite coal power 
plants to replace the heavily-polluting ones.  Greece has no plan 
to add more lignite to its energy mix; however, Birbili said that 
the cost efficiency of lignite and its local availability made it 
an integral part of the country's energy security strategy, which 
she could not foresee changing. 
 
. . . . . But Natural Gas an Integral Part of the Mix 
 
 6.  Birbili said that Greece is seeking to increase its use of 
natural gas, which (because of the international pipelines) is 
considered a geopolitical issue handled by Deputy Minister of 
Foreign Affairs Spyros Kouvelis.  Since November, Kouvelis has made 
trips to Baku, Azerbaijan, and to Doha, Qatar, in pursuit of 
Greece's energy security.  Even Prime Minister Papandreou, who is 
expected to make an official visit to Moscow in mid-February, is 
involved, Birbili stated.  She explained that Greece is working 
with Italy to complete feasibility studies for the sub-Adriatic 
pipeline of the Interconnector Turkey Greece Italy (ITGI), bridging 
Greek and Italian markets.  Birbili said that the linchpin to 
ITGI's completion and success is the long-stalled gas transit and 
pricing agreement between Turkey and Azerbaijan, which would allow 
greater gas volumes to flow from the Caspian basin.  When asked by 
the ambassador about Greece's Russian gas contracts, Birbili 
responded that the agreement ends in 2016 but offered no additional 
insights into how or when Greece might renegotiate.  Greek media is 
speculating that Papandreou's upcoming trip to Russia will include 
energy discussions. 
 
And, Oil Still in Play 
 
 7.  On the Burgas-Alexandropoulis (B-A) oil pipeline, Birbili said 
that Greece is following closely recent announcements by Russia and 
Turkey on the alternative Samsun-Ceyhan route for Russian oil. 
Acknowledging Samsun-Ceyhan competes with B-A , Birbili dismissed 
Greek dependence on B-A, saying it was only a small piece of the 
national energy puzzle. 
 
 
"We Got Nothing" at Copenhagen 
 
 8.  Birbili was strident in her criticism at the lack of progress 
at Copenhagen, dismissing the accord as neither binding nor a 
political agreement (reftel) .  However, she conceded that 
President Obama's presence was critical to the little progress 
made.  Birbili hoped that Mexico would offer a better opportunity 
to create a real agreement.  The ambassador countered that 
Copenhagen was a good start, that funding commitments were made to 
alleviate dislocation of the least developed economies, and that 
mitigation targets were forthcoming from major economies. 
 
Helping Greece Tackle Forest Fires to Reduce Global Warming 
 
 9.  The ambassador described for Birbili ongoing U.S. efforts to 
assist Greece in fighting devastating annual forest fires, citing 
the more than $2 million USAID/OFDA money appropriated in 2007, 
which U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and FEMA are using to conduct 
training and provide technical assistance.  The ambassador shared a 
recent USFS assessment of Greece's fire service, highlighting one 
of the conclusions recommending that Greece focus more on fire 
prevention.  Birbili was greatly appreciative of U.S. assistance 
and admitted that the Greek Forest Service was weak, but she hoped 
to rectify that. 
Speckhard