BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 15. On a commercial level, the ICGB, the operator of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), has held yearly and quarterly auctions, as a result of which 84 percent of the capacity for gas year 2023/2024 is booked, Teodora Georgieva, Executive Officer of ICGB, said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
She noted that ICGB has seen a steady growth in new shippers, with companies from Europe dominating in number.
"Considering the interconnector’s synergy with the existing and planned LNG terminals in Greece, especially the one in Alexandroupolis due for launch in 2024, I expect IGB to see even stronger market interest within the next few years. We’ve already launched an incremental capacity process to assess market demand for increasing the technical capacity of IGB pipeline from the current 3 bcm/y to 5 bcm/y. The indications from the non-binding phase are positive as the market interest was higher than our initial expectations," added Georgieva.
She went on to add that currently ICGB is working in parallel with adjacent TSOs towards the next steps of the process and the potential expansion of the pipeline’s capacity.
"Our first year was exciting and full of challenges, but we’re already setting the course for the next big step," added the executive director.
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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