Athens, 10 July 2025 – With great honor and sense of responsibility, the Hellenic Hydrocarbons and Energy Resources Management Company (HEREMA) undertakes the co-organization of the 5th Industrial Carbon Management (ICM) Forum, as nominated by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER). The event will take place under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy on 8-9 December 2025 in Athens, following the 4th ICM Forum held in Pau, France.
The ICM Forum is an annual event organized from 2021 onwards at a different city, under the auspices of the European Commission, aiming to promote industrial carbon management, further develop the Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) sector, and achieve the ultimate goal of decarbonization and energy transition. CCUS is a critical aspect of global efforts to mitigate climate change, with the EU having set ambitious targets for the underground geological storage of CO2 – 50 million tonnes by 2030, and 250 million by 2040. In that context, the Forum brings together every year stakeholders from EU institutions, national energy authorities of member-states, the industrial sector and Academia for two days of constructive dialogue, exchange of experience and expertise, and search for optimal solutions.
Commenting on the announcement of the upcoming event, the CEO of HEREMA, Mr. Aristofanis Stefatos, stated: “After Brussels, Oslo, Aalborg and Pau, Athens is the fifth European city to host the Industrial Carbon Management Forum, following true pioneers of CCUS technologies. We’d like to kindly thank the European Commission and our co-hosts DG ENER for the honor and trust, and the Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy for the support. The organization of this event highlights Greece’s momentum, and also the progress our country has made in this critical and essential energy sector – both for the mitigation of the effects of climate change, and for ensuring the competitiveness of Greek industry. I’m proud of HEREMA’s contribution to the development of the CCUS sector in Greece and the acknowledgement of our efforts, expressed—inter alia—with such honorary assignments. We’re looking forward to welcome in Athens the guests and participants of the 5th ICM Forum, and host a successful, interesting, and productive event.”
HEREMA is Greece’s competent licensing authority for the exploration and underground storage of gases and liquids—including the geological storage of CO2. In that capacity, HEREMA represents the country at the highest institutional level as a member of European and global entities, and collaborates with international and Greek scientific organizations, and think tanks.
Given the need to support and ensure the competitiveness of hard-to-abate domestic industries, HEREMA matures the emblematic CO2 storage project in Prinos, Kavala—the first of its kind in Greece and only second across the entire SE Europe—having submitted the relevant draft storage permit to the competent EU authorities for review. At the same time, the Company supports efforts to develop a local CCUS value chain and explores other geological areas suitable for CO2 storage to meet the increased needs of local industry.