BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 4. The interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) will get access to multiple gas sources in 2024, executive director of ICGB company Teodora Georgieva said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
“IGB is already connected to TAP and to Bulgartransgaz’s network system. A physical connection with DESFA is also planned in the near future. While the 1 bcm/y under the contract with Azerbaijan is the backbone of the project, IGB has long term capacity booked by other shippers as well. Most of them are entirely new to the Bulgarian market, if I may add,” she said.
Georgieva pointed out that after the construction of a compressor station by DESFA in Komotini in 2024 and after the commissioning of the Alexandroupolis LNG terminal in the same year, IGB is expected to transport gas from various LNG producers, such as the USA, Algeria, Qatar, Nigeria, Egypt and others.
“It’s our hope that the quantities from Azerbaijan can be upscaled in the future, but that’s a discussion for another, more political level. The remaining free capacity will be traded transparently on two platforms – PRISMA and RBP, starting as of the gas day of Oct 1st,” the executive director explained.
IGB connects Bulgaria with the Southern Gas Corridor and will enable secure supplies from a variety of sources to several countries in Southeast and Central Europe, including Moldova and Ukraine.
The pipeline is set to transport 1 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas per year to Bulgaria. Its capacity is 3 billion cubic meters with the possibility of expanding to 5 billion cubic meters per year.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn