BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.28. ICGB, operator of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) is already researching the potential for hydrogen transmission and the topics related, ICGB Executive Officer Teodora Georgieva said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
"We believe the obvious technical constraints will be resolved in the foreseeable future, at least to a certain level sufficient enough for transportation of blended gases," said the executive officer.
Apart, Georgieva noted that the real prospects for hydrogen pumping depend on the market of this commodity.
"Our transmission service is just a small piece of a very larger puzzle called hydrogen economy. It must also be noted that for IGB to start pumping hydrogen, there needs to be synergy with at least several consecutive infrastructure operators in that aspect. Adjacent operators should also be ready for hydrogen transportation to/from a certain destination to enable the actual process. We have recognized this as a future opportunity, and I am certain we will be ready to fit in once the hydrogen market starts to develop more noticeably," she said.
The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) began commercial operation on October 1, 2022.
Since the beginning of the current heating season, the interconnector provides nearly 1/3 of the winter consumption of natural gas in Bulgaria. IGB is the first route for diversified supplies of natural gas to Bulgaria, guaranteeing increased security of supply and diversity of sources, contributing significantly to the competition in the natural gas market, which is a prerequisite for optimized prices for businesses and domestic consumers in the country.
The gas pipeline creates an entirely new route through Bulgaria for the transportation of natural gas from new sources to a number of countries, which reinforces the key role of the interconnector not only at a national level, but also for the entire region of Central and Southeastern Europe.
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