BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 14. As of mid-April, 91 percent of all construction activities for the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) have been completed, the ICGB AD, a project company told Trend.
“The remaining works are the two gas metering stations near Stara Zagora and Komotini. Reinstatement has already started along the completed route of the pipeline - according to the project, the entire 182-kilometer route of the interconnector should be reinstated in accordance with all environmental standards. 31 km have already been fully reinstated.
In line with the environmental commitments of the ICGB project company and the requirements imposed by the European Investment Bank, which is a financing institution for the project, the fifth Environmental and Social audit of the interconnector was recently completed. It was performed by the third-party auditors from RSK Ltd., with main focus to be “Social Impact” and “Stakeholder Engagement”. No major non-compliances were identified during the inspection with parallel closure of previous visits’ findings,” the company said.
ICGB places high priority on the economic and social importance of the communities along the pipeline’s route and continues to deliver its commitments to transparency, accountability, and dialogue, ensuring open engagement in a proactive manner with all stakeholders.
“As part of the IGB project and ICGB’s commitment regarding Livelihood Restoration Plan, a series of planned activities are scheduled for the upcoming months to support communities in the regions along the gas pipeline in both Greece and Bulgaria. One of ICGB’s key commitments for the last remaining social and ecological audit during the construction phase is to ensure the successful closure of the pipeline construction works according to all international standards set, successfully minimizing all environmental and social impacts,” the project company said.
The IGB project is of key importance for increasing security of supply and for ensuring diversification of natural gas sources for Bulgaria and the region of Southeast Europe. At the regional level, IGB will provide access to the gas transmission network for Bulgarian municipalities and regions that didn’t have an option for connectivity. The interconnector with Greece is an entirely new route for the transmission of natural gas to Europe and will give Bulgaria and the region access to supplies from new sources. The project will connect the country with the Southern Gas Corridor and has excellent synergy with other major energy projects such as TAP, TANAP, EastMed and the LNG terminal at Alexandroupolis.
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