BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 4. Over 10.4 million Mwh have been transported through the Greece-Bulgaria gas interconnector since the launch of the pipeline on October 1, 2022, Trend reports via the ICGB, the pipeline operator.
The amount equals to 892 million cubic meters and covers the period from the beginning of October to the end of April. As of the end of April, IGB has a total of 16 registered users.
The total capacity of IGB is 3 billion cubic meters per year, with 1.57 billion cubic meters already booked under long-term contracts lasting up to 25 years. The remaining capacity is successfully being auctioned for different periods on the European platforms PRISMA and RBP.
From the early planning stage of the project, it has been envisioned that the interconnector could increase its capacity to 5 bcm/y if there is market interest in such expansion. This can be achieved through the construction of a compressor station in Komotini, Greece, where the gas pipeline connects to the Greek gas transmission network and to the Trans-Adriatic Gas Pipeline (TAP), giving Bulgaria direct access to the Southern Gas Corridor.
The independent transmission operator ICGB, which is responsible for the commercial operation of the new gas infrastructure, is actively considering options for such a capacity boost given the changed energy environment in the region and the general European efforts to secure new, safe routes for diversified supplies. To this end, ICGB plans to conduct a market test in the second half of 2023, which will indicate market attitudes towards such a step. Based on the results of the market test, the company's shareholders (BEH and the Greek-Italian joint venture IGI Poseidon) will decide on the possible expansion of IGB.
The quantities of natural gas transported through the interconnector from the beginning of October 2022 meet more than 1/3 of Bulgaria's domestic consumption needs in the winter season. The new infrastructure creates opportunities for natural gas transportation to other neighboring countries in the region, including Moldova and Ukraine thanks to the possibility of connectivity with the Trans-Balkan Gas Pipeline.