BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct.2
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The construction of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) is a key priority for the Bulgarian government in the energy sphere, said Bulgarian Minister of Energy Temenuzhka Petkova, Trend reports.
She made the remarks during a meeting with Francis R. Fannon, the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) at the U.S Department of State.
Briefing Fannon on the progress in the implementation of the IGB project, Petkova pointed out that 150 kilometers of pipes have been produced, 103 kilometers of the route were cleared, more than 80 kilometers of pipe were stringed.
The minister reaffirmed the government's strong commitment to the successful completion of the interconnection as an infrastructure of strategic importance for security of supply in Southeast Europe.
“Bulgaria considers the construction of IGB and participation in the project for a liquefied natural gas terminal near Alexandroupolis in synergy. By participating in these projects, our country will achieve real diversification of sources and routes for natural gas supply,” she added.
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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