CHISINAU, Moldova, June 1. Azerbaijan proved to be a reliable energy partner for Europe, Rumen Radev, President of Bulgaria, told journalist on the sidelines of the 2nd European Political Summit held in Chisinau, Trend reports.
"Azerbaijan, in the face of President Ilham Aliyev, has proved to be reliable partner for Europe. We have trust and confidence in Azerbaijan. And every practical step proves this confidence," he said.
Radev also noted the successful implementation of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) project.
"We have finished the IGB project, and now we enjoy having out quantities of Azerbaijani gas. This year, we have started the implementation of another interconnector between Bulgaria and Serbia, which will provide new opportunities," the president added.
The IGB commenced commercial operations on October 1, 2022. Since the beginning of the current heating season, it has supplied approximately one-third of Bulgaria's winter natural gas consumption. As the primary conduit for diverse natural gas supplies to Bulgaria, the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria ensures heightened supply security and source variety. This development significantly enhances competition in the natural gas market, leading to optimized prices for both businesses and domestic consumers in the country.
With a total length of 182 km and a pipe diameter of 32 inches, the gas pipeline has been designed with a capacity of up to 3 billion m3/year for transporting gas from Greece to Bulgaria. However, the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria has the potential to expand its capacity to 5 billion m3/year based on market demand and the capabilities of neighboring gas transmission systems. To accommodate higher gas volumes, the construction of an additional compressor station would be required.