Chevron will begin seismic surveys in the Ionian Sea and south of the Peloponnese and Crete before the end of 2026, Greek Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou confirmed after meeting the company’s country head for Greece, Beatrice Bienvenu, in New York on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
The two discussed next steps toward shared goals and keeping to the timeline despite a demanding schedule. Papastavrou said the government is developing and maturing Greece’s hydrocarbons market and building international investor confidence, while meeting both its deadlines and all environmental and safety requirements.
Speaking later that evening at a high-level Atlantic Council dinner titled “Powering the Future: A US-European High-Level Dialogue on Electrification,” Papastavrou stressed Greece’s leading role in shaping Europe’s new energy architecture. He told senior U.S. and European officials that energy must not be used as a tool of pressure or geopolitical blackmail, whether by Russia, Iran or any other country.
“Energy is life, and interconnections are bridges,” he said, arguing that stronger links are essential for security, resilience and cooperation. He highlighted the Greece–Cyprus–Israel interconnector, which he said is of clear interest to Washington, and the GREGY project linking Egypt to Greece and the European market. He also singled out Alexandroupolis as a key regional energy gateway and pointed to the presence of Chevron and ExxonMobil in Greece.
Also on Tuesday, Papastavrou attended a ministerial meeting convened by Ireland’s climate and energy minister, Darragh O’Brien, on EU priorities ahead of COP31 in Antalya, Turkey. He strongly criticized Turkey for not inviting Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides to the leaders’ summit, calling it a European issue. “Either all member states take part in COP31 on equal terms, or none,” he said.
Papastavrou is in New York for the 81st U.N. General Assembly High-Level Week.
