Eight foreign oil firms have expressed interest in collaborating with Hellenic Petroleum (HELPE) to search for oil and gas in the Arta-Preveza areas and the northwestern Peloponnese, the general director of HELPE's Oil & Gas Exploration and Production Division Yiannis Grigoriou said on Wednesday.

The two ministerial decrees signed by the Greek Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change Yiannis Maniatis pave the road for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in Greek territory for the benefit of the Greek state.

Energean Oil & Gas, the operator of the Prinos-Kavala oilfields, on Tuesday announced an agreement to participate with a 25 pct stake in exploration and exploitation licenses in the regions Sara and Myra in deep waters in Israel.