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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.9. It is planned to increase the capacity of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to 5 billion cubic meters in 2024, Teodora Georgieva, executive director of ICGB AD, a project company, told Azernews, Trend reports.
She noted that IGB is connected to the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), allowing for additional quantities of gas from Azerbaijan that arrive in Greek ports to flow to Italy and the wider Southeast Europe (SEE) region.
“It will also enable the flow of liquefied natural gas to Bulgaria and SEE from Greece's Alexandroupolis LNG terminal, paving the way for potential future LNG imports from the US, Algeria, Qatar, Egypt, and other suppliers. The pipeline is seen as a crucial element of the European Union's plans to give up Russian gas supplies entirely by 2030 and beyond. The currently booked quantities of Azeri gas – 1 bcm/y, are the backbone of the project from the very start and we are very grateful for the constant support of our Azeri partners when it comes to energy security. Azerbaijan is a trusted partner and that has been proven in time. I hope that in the future we would look at opportunities and possibilities to build on the current reserved capacity for Azerbaijani gas, especially after IGB increases its capacity to 5 bcm/y – something we plan on doing together with DESFA in 2024,” said the executive director.
"We’ve begun active talks with the Greek national operator DESFA to look into the possibility of speeding up those plans and building a compressor station at Komotini much sooner. For now, we think this could be done in the first half of 2024 to match the launch of the LNG terminal in Alexandroupolis – this would ensure that the extended capacity of IGB is fully booked."
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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