BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 20. For the first quarter of 2023, more than 3 million MWh have been transported via the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), the ICGB, the pipeline operator, told Trend.
The company said that since the gas interconnector was put into commercial operation on October 1, 2022, over 8 million MWh have been transported through the pipeline.
"Currently, the transmission system operator ICGB is carrying out all commitments within the long-term contracts for booking 1.57 bcm/y and the remaining available capacity is successfully being auctioned on the European platforms PRISMA and RBP," said the ICGB.
The company said the pipeline is currently ensuring more than 1/3 of Bulgaria’s internal consumption of natural gas and enables transportation to a number of other countries in the region including Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine.
"All facilities part of the IGB project has been fully operational ever since the commercial launch in Q4 2022. The EPC contractor is still implementing finishing, secondary works that are part of the contract but have no direct relevance to the operational readiness of the gas transportation infrastructure. ICGB is closely monitoring the finalization of these activities and will be providing public information upon their successful completion," said the ICGB.
The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria 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.
DESFA (National Natural Gas System Operator S.A.) is a natural gas transmission system operator in Greece. In addition to the transmission system, the company also operates Greece's gas distribution networks, and the Revithoussa LNG Terminal.
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