Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.6
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) has the potential to open up the whole Balkan energy island, using Greece as the entry point to get away from the current dependence on monopoly suppliers, said the US ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt.
Addressing the Greek Economy conference, the ambassador noted that aside from IGB, natural gas projects like the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU) in Alexandroupolis and the upgraded Revithousa terminal are examples of Greece’s energy potential, New Europe reported.
Further, Pyatt pointed out that Greece would be the third European country to begin importing American liquefied natural gas (LNG), after Poland and Lithuania.
The diplomat noted that the Greek government has promised to import LNG from the US.
IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets.
The initial capacity of IGB will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas. The project’s cost is estimated at around 240 million euros.
TAP is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor, which is one of the priority energy projects for the European Union. The project envisages transportation of gas from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz Stage 2 to the EU countries.
The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy’s south.
TAP will be 878 kilometers in length (Greece 550 kilometers, Albania 215 kilometers, Adriatic Sea 105 kilometers, and Italy 8 kilometers).
TAP’s shareholding is comprised of BP (20 percent), SOCAR (20 percent), Snam S.p.A. (20 percent), Fluxys (19 percent), Enagás (16 percent) and Axpo (5 percent).
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