BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan.30. The current capacity of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB pipeline is 3 bcm/y and as of right now it is booked at almost 94 percent, Executive Officer of ICGB, the pipeline operator, Teodora Georgieva said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
She believes that for a pipeline that’s launched in just under 6 months, this is a tremendous success.
“The IGB project was initially believed to be a highly relevant infrastructure both for the two host countries and the wider region all the way back in 2009 when the idea for it was established. Personally, I have always believed in it as a dear cause of mine with a great international impact. Now, given the new realities in Europe, we can all feel with certainty that this pipeline is truly a game-changer – it has helped Bulgaria diversify its internal consumption of natural gas, breaking the cycle of dependence on one main supplier, and it has strengthened Greece’s position on the energy map as well. That being said, through IGB we’re already seeing other countries benefiting as well, and we’re working on partnerships with local companies to provide gasification to national regions that used to not have this option. I must say that after years of hard work and extraordinary challenges, IGB’s launch with 3 bcm/y was an absolute success,” added Georgieva.
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.
The gas pipeline creates an entirely new route through Bulgaria for the transportation of natural gas from new sources to a number of countries, which reinforces the key role of the interconnector not only at a national level, but also for the entire region of Central and Southeastern Europe.
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