The capacity of the Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) interconnector has been almost completely filled since December and has reached over 94 percent just a few months after being put into commercial operation.
A total of 4.875 million MWh of gas was transported through the Greece-Bulgaria gas pipeline in the period from October 1 to December 31, and by the end of 2022, 11 interconnector users were registered.
The 182-kilometer gas pipeline connects the transmission networks of Greece and Bulgaria at the Komotini and Stara Zagora points and represents Bulgaria’s direct connection with the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). The total capacity of the IGB is 3 billion cubic meters per year, and 1.57 billion cubic meters have already been reserved based on long-term contracts valid for up to 25 years. The available capacity is successfully sold through auctions on the European PRISMA and RBP platforms.
Since the beginning of the current heating season, the interconnector has provided almost one third of the winter consumption of natural gas in Bulgaria, guaranteeing greater security and diversification of supply sources, significantly contributing to competition on the natural gas market, which is a prerequisite for price optimization for the economy and domestic consumers.
The gas pipeline opened a new route for transporting natural gas through Bulgaria from new sources, thereby strengthening the role of the interconnector in the region of Central and Southeastern Europe.
Source: ceenergynews.com
