BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 11. Azerbaijani gas flows via the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) may start on November 1, Executive Director of Bulgaria's public natural gas supplier Bulgargaz, Lyudmil Yotsov said, Trend reports via BTA.
Yotsov pointed out that it is still unclear whether the gas interconnector will go into operation in October.
"Nobody can promise us that," he said, speaking during an open meeting of the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC).
The Bulgargaz CEO noted that even if the interconnector is ready on October 1, SOCAR, the state oil and gas company of Azerbaijan, has said that they need time for double-checking, which means that they can decide to start delivering Azerbaijani gas over the interconnector from November 1.
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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