CEO of Greek AVAX Group Antonios Mitzalis said that the construction works on gas interconnection between Greece and Bulgaria (so-called IGB pipeline) will be fully completed by 8 September.
Mitzalis met with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev to company to clarify the progress and the necessary steps for the completion of the IGB project. He explained that the company had experienced difficulties in orienting itself in the exact technical requirements of the Bulgarian normative regulations on putting the interconnector into operation, but has already received clarifications and will manage.
President Radev said that the gas interconnection between Bulgaria and Greece is not just an infrastructure project, it is of huge significance for achieving real gas supply diversification for Bulgaria and surrounding countries. The project is also important for guaranteeing the stable economic development of the region and for carrying out the European policy on guaranteeing the independence and security of energy supplies.
Earlier this week, ICGB, a project company for gas interconnection between Bulgaria and Greece (so- called IGB pipeline), said that all key construction activities for the implementation of the interconnector project have been completed. The construction supervision and a number of checks and tests conducted in recent months have established that the gas pipeline and all its land facilities are finished and technically serviceable. The entire 182 kilometers of pipeline and the adjoining facilities are now filled with natural gas at 40 bar pressure.
The statement comes after CEO of Bulgarian public gas supplier Bulgargaz Lyudmil Yotsov said earlier this week that it is still unclear whether the gas interconnection between Bulgaria and Greece will be put into operation in October. He said that even if the interconnector is ready by 1 October, the State Oil Company of Azerbaiajn (SOCAR) said earlier that it will need additional time for double- checking, which means that they can decide to start delivering Azeri gas over the interconnector from 1 November.
