Environment, Energy and Climate Change Minister Yiannis Maniatis yesterday (20.02) presented a package of measures - worth €150 million - designed to reduce industry energy costs. In a meeting with reporters, Maniatis said this would include measures reducing the cost of electricity and natural gas, while the government is in the final stages of negotiations with Russia's Gazprom for lower gas prices.

Deputy Environment Minister Assimakis Papageorgiou presented certain measures taken to reduce energy costs, which included: making the fee for renewable energy sources the same for high-voltage and medium-voltage industry, launching an "interruptibility" system for high-voltage industrial uses, natural gas discounts by distributing Public Gas Corporation (DEPA) profits among its customers, preserving natgas discounts for large customers up to 2015 even if they do not meet the high consumption rates in their contracts, and passing on the price reduction arising from the negotiations with Gazprom.