Baku, Azerbaijan, May 21
By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:
Bulgaria aims to implement the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) project in accordance with the schedule, said Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova.
She made the remarks during a meeting with representatives of the Shah Deniz consortium, said a message from Bulgarian energy ministry.
"The work on the IGB project has been intensified in recent months, and I can reaffirm the government's support for the project,” said the minister.
Petkova pointed out that IGB has received a government guarantee of 110 million euros.
The minister said that currently, the process of selecting a pipe supplier, a provider of design and construction work, as well as a consultant engineer is underway as part of the IGB project.
The interconnector Greece-Bulgaria is planned to be put into operation in 2020, she added.
The representatives of the Shah Deniz consortium for their part informed Minister Petkova that the process of gas production as part of the Phase 2 of development of Shah Deniz field has been accelerated.
They assured that Bulgaria will be able to get the first volumes of natural gas from Azerbaijan in 2020.
Azerbaijan supports Bulgaria in its activities to ensure energy security, they added.
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.
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