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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept. 18
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The 3 billion cubic meter (bcm) per year Bulgaria-Greece Interconnector (IGB) project aims to start commercial operations by July 2021, Teodora Georgieva, chief executive officer/executive director at project company ICGB told ICIS, Trend reports.
“From the point of view of the regulatory requirements, the project company also has a time commitment to the natural gas traders, who have reserved capacity in IGB, which is July 1, 2021. The Exemption decision specifies a date of commercial operation no later than 1 July deadline,” Georgieva said.
Georgieva said ICGB is striving for the launch to happen in 2021 but added that the date of commercial operation is not entirely related to Azerbaijani gas, deliveries of which will start in December this year. “This is only one source of natural gas. We expect natural gas to be transported through the IGB from a variety of sources, including LNG,” she said.
The the spread of coronavirus affected the construction, delaying it by at least 2-3 months, and ICGB is doing everything possible to compensate them.
“We use all possible levers to avoid delays. We are putting enormous pressure on the construction to be in line with the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor and other strategic projects in Bulgaria and the region. Our strategic partners monitor the process very seriously, and we regularly inform them about the current status of construction activities,” explained Georgieva.
IGB project envisages the construction of a gas interconnector that will link the gas transmission systems of Greece and Bulgaria. The total length of the gas pipeline is 182.6 km, and its capacity for gas transmission is 3 billion cubic meters per year with the option to reach 5 billion cubic meters.
The route of the gas pipeline is divided into 7 main lots, the shortest being 9.55 km long and the longest - 71.90 km. 106 km of the route in Bulgaria will be completed with automatic welding, and the remaining 45 km - by manual welding.
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