BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 23. The Greece-Bulgaria interconnector (IGB) may see its capacity boosted from the current 3 bcm/y to a total 5 bcm/y as early as 2025, the ICGB, the pipeline operator, told Trend.
“With the non-binding phase of the process completed, we received indications for significant market interest in expanding the pipeline’s capacity. The binding phase will come in July 2024 – when energy traders and shippers commit to booking capacity”, said ICGB’s Executive Officers George Satlas and Teodora Georgieva during a meeting of the TSOs under the Vertical Gas Corridor (Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary).
According to them, ICGB has already completed the Demand Assessment Reports as a next step in the process, initiating joint technical studies for increase of the capacity at the interconnection points of the pipeline with the adjacent network systems in Greece and Bulgaria.
Taking another step in that direction, ICGB with the support of all Vertical Gas Corridor TSOs welcomed the national transmission system operators of Moldova and Ukraine to the working session. ICGB initiates and fully supports expanding the Vertical Gas Corridor in the future with Moldova, Ukraine and the system operator for the EastMed project.
The IGB gas pipeline connects with the Greek national gas transmission system (DESFA S.A.) and the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline (TAP AG) in the area of Komotini (Greece), and with the Bulgarian gas transmission system (Bulgartransgaz EAD) in the area of Stara Zagora. The total length of the gas pipeline is 182 km, the diameter of the pipe - 32'' - and a design capacity of up to 3 billion m3/year in the direction Greece - Bulgaria. The gas pipeline enables the transportation of natural gas from new sources to other countries in the region as well, including Moldova and Ukraine.
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