BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec.29. The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) are of strategic importance for the wider Balkans and South-Eastern Europe region, Greek deputy minister of foreign affairs Kostas Fragogiannis said in his article in the special edition of “To Vima tis Kiriakis” newspaper, Trend reports Dec.29.
“An unprecedented level of investment activity in the sector is recorded in the last few months of 2022. Projects such as the TAP and IGB pipelines, the Greece-North Macedonia interconnector, the Alexandroupolis FSRU as well as the prospect of developing more FSRU plants around Greece, are of strategic importance for the wider Balkans and South-Eastern Europe region and turn Greece into regional energy gateway to the EU,” he said.
As the European section of the Southern Gas Corridor, TAP has the capacity to transport approximately 10 billion cubic meters of gas per annum (bcm/a) to several markets in Europe. The pipeline is also designed with the potential to expand its throughput capacity up to 20 bcm/a.
TAP is strategically and economically important to Europe and essential in providing reliable access to a new source of natural gas. TAP plays a significant role in boosting Europe’s energy security, supply diversification, as well as decarbonization objectives.
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.
The opening ceremony of the IGB was held in Greece's Komotini on July 8, while the inauguration ceremony was held in Bulgaria on October 1, 2022.
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