BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 16
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
IGB (Interconnection Greece-Bulgaria) – the gas pipeline is under construction and is expected to run in operation by the end of 2021, Trend reports with reference to Bulgartransgaz.
“The construction of the interconnector is of strategic importance for the implementation of the Vertical Gas Corridor (Greece - Bulgaria - Romania - Hungary), providing access to natural gas from the Southern Gas Corridor and LNG to South Eastern and Central Europe, as well as to Ukraine.
The IGB realisation is linked with the policy of the Republic of Bulgaria targeted at securing an infrastructure for the access to alternative sources and natural gas import routes. The construction of the gas pipeline will enable Bulgaria and Greece to respond efficiently in cases of possible cuts in the supply from external sources or seasonal peaks in consumption on natural gas - an infrastructure will be in place to cover the crisis supply and satisfy peak consumption in the month of big consumption,” the company said.
The IGB gas pipeline will be connected with the Greek national gas transmission system in the area of Komotini and with the Bulgarian national gas transmission system in the area of Stara Zagora. The planned length of the pipeline is 182 km, the pipeline diameter will be 32” and the projected capacity will be up to 3 bcm/y in the direction from Greece to Bulgaria. Depending on the interest from the market and the capacities of the neighboring gas transmission systems, the pipeline is designed for increasing its capacity up to 5 bcm/y for following up the market evolution thus allowing physical reverse flow (from Bulgaria to Greece) with the additional installation of a compressor station. A Memorandum for cooperation between ICGB AD and TAP AG has been signed concerning joint actions in relation to future connection between the IGB pipeline and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline.
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