BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan.24
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The construction of Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) should be completed in October this year, said Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova, Trend reports citing the ministry’s website.
During a meeting held with participation of the companies involved in the pipeline’s construction, Petkova urged for active work and stressed that the commissioning of IGB in synergy with the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is of strategic importance.
“Bulgaria will be able to receive the contracted 1 billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field through IGB,” said the minister.
A representative of Corinth Pipeworks S.A., which is the line pipe supplier for IGB, assured that the pipe manufacturing is on schedule.
“In February, the necessary quantities will be delivered for the construction of the first 47 kilometers of the interconnector. The necessary technology for carrying out automatic welding of pipes has been delivered to Thessaloniki and is to be transported to the route in Bulgaria. Currently, preparatory works on the route on Bulgarian and Greek territory are still underway,” said the company representative.
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 TAP via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets.
The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria project envisages a two-stage development.
In the first stage, the pipeline capacity will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas, of which 2.7 billion cubic meters will be offered for the long-term market, the remaining share of 0.3 billion cubic meters in the short term.
In a second phase, also depending on the evolution of the market, the capacity of the pipeline can be increased to 5.3 billion cubic meters of gas thanks to the addition of a compression station: 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas 0.5 billion cubic meters of short-term gas will be offered for long-term products.
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