Cyprus still harbors big hopes for the installation of an LNG plant at Vasilikos, according to Charles Ellinas, until recently Executive President, Cyprus National Hydrocarbons Company, but his country's role in the Eastern Mediterranean natural gas context may be receding.
Mr. Ellinas offered an exclusive interview on those plans to Natural Gas Europe at the European Gas Conference 2014 in Vienna, Austria.
Commencement of construction at Vasilikos could have begun in 2016, potentially creating a lot of jobs for the island's shaky economy and eventually bringing gas to Cyprus for generating electricity before the end of the decade. Mr. Ellinas observes: “These plans seem to be slipping away from us,” explaining that the amount of gas in Cyprus' Aphrodite field is not enough to proceed with the regional Vasilikos plan