BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 8. A market test will be launched for the capacity expansion of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) in coming months, Teodora Georgieva, chief executive director of ICGB company, the pipeline operator, said, Trend reports.
She told SeeNews that if there is sufficient demand, the pipeline’s capacity will be increased from the current 3 billion cubic meters to 5 billion cubic meters, which will also enable liquefied natural gas transportation from the existing and planned terminals in Greece - Revithoussa and the one in Alexandroupolis.
ICGB and Greek transmission system operator DESFA, are already collaborating on this opportunity, added Georgieva. Building a new compressor station on the Greek side is one of the projects that will advance capacity expansion.
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.
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