BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.25
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) can be extended to eastern, northeastern Europe, Trend quoted Constantinos Filis, Director of Research Programs at the Institute of International Relations as saying.
“Through the vertical corridor, linking Greece with Bulgaria (the IGB project), which can be extended to eastern and northeastern Europe, Athens plans to properly exploit the fact that it will receive natural gas from Azerbaijan and, in the future, from other sources from the wider Caspian basin. Athens also expects to transport and manage quantities of gas from the eastern Mediterranean,” he told GIG.
Filis noted that the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) is the first project in the Southern European corridor with the aim of lessening dependence on Russia.
“Through its participation in various projects, Greece aims to become not only a transit, but also a commercial hub for energy.
Greece is entering the global energy equation, investing in its strategic position. Greece is gradually becoming a focal point of regional projects in an attempt to connect southeastern Europe with the more mature market of central and northern Europe.
The strategic objective of the EU is to diversify suppliers and routes, and in that respect, Greece is a crucial part of the European supply chain, particularly given its credibility,” he added.
IGB will provide the shortest and the most competitive route along the Southern Gas Corridor for bringing natural gas to Bulgaria.
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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