The European energy market is becoming increasingly vulnerable to disruptions in natural gas supplies, raising concerns in Greece about its reliance on Russian imports and Turkey’s growing role in Europe’s gas supply chain.
Recent attention has turned to restoring the steady flow of Azeri gas through the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). Emergency maintenance at the Shah Deniz field, caused by facility issues, temporarily disrupted gas flows, reducing supplies to Greece, Italy, and Bulgaria via the IGB interconnection.
As of January 13, gas flows through TAP into Greece had dropped to zero, but they are expected to resume by January 15. While the exact cause of the disruption remains unclear, the Greek gas transmission system operator, DESFA, has assured that domestic demand was met through LNG imports from the Revithoussa terminal and the new Alexandroupoli facility. On January 10, domestic gas consumption reached 195 GWh, with an additional 40 GWh exported to support neighboring Balkan markets.
A significant concern for Greece is its heavy reliance on Russian natural gas, which accounted for 57% of its total imports in 2024. The country is also dependent on gas supplies via Turkey through the TurkStream pipeline. Turkey’s role as a crucial transit hub for Russian gas has grown since the closure of Ukraine’s transit route to Europe. This shift was further highlighted by Bulgaria’s recent agreement with Turkish supplier BOTAS to replace disrupted Azeri gas flows.
Any disruption to TurkStream operations could have serious consequences for Greece’s energy supply and prices. This potential risk became evident when Russia accused Ukraine of attacking TurkStream facilities in the Krasnodar region. According to Russian sources, drones targeted a gas distribution station, attempting to disrupt deliveries to Europe. While the damage was minimal and repairs were quickly completed, the incident underscores the vulnerabilities of the region’s energy infrastructure.
