Mr. Gerasimos Avlonitis
Expert on Regulatory Affairs
Hellenic Gas Transmission Systems Operatos – DESFA S.A.
T: +30 213 0884065
E: [email protected]
Gerasimos started his professional career in the upstream sector of the hydrocarbon industry in 1996. Based in
the UK, he worked in numerous oil and gas production optimization projects in Europe, Middle East and Latin
America.
Moving to the downstream sector of the industry, he joined the business development team of Prometheus
Gas S.A., a joint company of Gazprom and Copelouzos Group in Greece, involved in gas and power projects. In
May 2002 he joined the Greek Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) as an energy expert, holding the position
of Head of the Gas Department from 2005 until the end of 2012.
Since 2013, he is an advisor at the Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator (DESFA) on regulatory affairs
and the coordinator of the team dealing with the design of the wholesale gas market in Greece. In June 2018,
was nominated by DESFA as a member of the Board of Directors in the newly established Hellenic Energy
Exchange S.A. (Energy Exchange Group - EnEx).
Gerasimos has delivered seminars and training courses in gas sector organization, gas pricing and Third-Party
Access tariffs in Greece and several other countries in Europe and the Middle East. Since 2014, he is also a
visiting lecturer at the Master’s program of the University of Piraeus in Energy: Strategy, Law & Economics.
Gerasimos holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from National Technical University of Athens and an MSc in
Petroleum Engineering from Imperial College, London.
"Opening new routes for Natural Gas in Europe"
DESFA is an EU-certified Independent Transmission System Operator for gas, operating the key gas
infrastructure in Greece, including the country’s sole LNG terminal. DESFA also provides a wide range of
regulated and non-regulated services to domestic and international players. With ample capacity, excellent
existing and future interconnections with neighboring systems and an open and fully EU-compatible Third
Party Access regime, DESFA already provides the hardware and software for the development of a
transportation and commercial hub for the region.
The presentation will discuss the current and future status of the system, the range of services offered by
DESFA and the possibilities for gas transport to Europe through the existing LNG terminal in the context of the
Gas2EU discussion. This “LNG option” provides certain advantages over other hydrocarbon evacuation
alternatives and is in line with EU’s strategy for enhancing the role of LNG in diversifying and securing supplies
to the continent.