Gastrade-DEPA.

according to financial sources familiar with the matter. NBG this week sold 750 million euros of covered bonds – debt backed by collateral such as mortgages – which may be the first bonds by a Greek issuer that the ECB can purchase. Several other Greek lenders are expected to issue covered bonds in the next few weeks which should also be eligible for the eurozone central bank’s bond-buying scheme. The ECB has so far refused to buy government debt issued by Greece, which has been bailedout three times by its eurozone peers. The ECB is not believed to have bought any of the NBG bonds in the initial public sale, but banking sources close to the deal say it may do so after evaluating the credit. “The ECB does not come out with exclusive criteria on which bonds are eligible or not for the purchase program but the bankers and the lawyers who worked on this [NBG]

Greece’s state-controlled natural gas firm DEPA signed a cooperation agreement on Thursday with natural gas company Gastrade to participate in the development of a liquefied natural gas terminal in northern Greece, DEPA said. Greece currently has one LNG terminal on an islet off Athens. Gastrade, part of Greek energy group Copelouzos, is planning a second LNG terminal near the northern city of Alexandroupoli. The project has been described as a “project of common interest” by the European Union. Gastrade will hold at least 20 percent stake in the scheme, a source close to the matter said, with LNG carrier operator GasLog holding another 20 percent.