Greece-Bulgaria Gas Pipeline Begins Commercial Operation
(P&GJ) — The Greece-Bulgaria gas pipeline, the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), started commercial operation on Saturday, according to ICGB AD, owner and operator of the IGB.
The total length of the gas pipeline is 182 km (113 miles), and the designed capacity is up to 3 billion cubic meters (Bcm) per year.
The first quantities of natural gas through the interconnector were transited at the beginning of the gas day from the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). IGB successfully connects the national gas transmission networks of Greece and Bulgaria at Komotini and Stara Zagora.
"It's no coincidence that the ICGB team and I have been saying over the years that this interconnect is a game-changer,” said ICGB Executive Officer Teodora Georgieva. “This is the first project in Bulgaria that brings real diversification of natural gas sources and ensures energy independence; the first fully automated gas pipeline in the country, and for its completion we executed the third largest horizontally directed drilling in Europe. IGB will also be Bulgaria's only direct connection with TAP and will make the country part of the Southern Gas Corridor.”
On the first working day of IGB, more than 29,171 MWh are expected to enter the gas pipeline, and for the month of October the estimates are for 888,801 MWh. Half of the entire capacity of the interconnector is already booked under long-term contracts of up to 25 years.
Through the interconnector, Bulgaria receives the full quantities under the country’s contract with Azerbaijan for 1 Bcm/y.
The gas interconnector between Greece and Bulgaria can have its capacity increased to 5 Bcm per year, which will also allow for reverse flow in the direction of Stara Zagora - Komotini. This requires the construction of a compressor station in Komotini, which will be ready in 2024, at the same time as the commissioning of the LNG terminal near the Greek city of Alexandroupolis.
IGB is of key importance for increasing the security of supply and for ensuring the diversification of natural gas sources for Bulgaria, Greece and the region of Southeast Europe. The project will enable secure supplies from a variety of sources to a number of countries in Central and South-Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans, with the possibility of supplies for Moldova and Ukraine as well.
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