IGB completes one year of operation: supply volumes revealed

Over 16.4 million MWh have been transported through the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) pipeline in its first year of commercial operations, the ICGB company, the pipeline operator, told Trend.

“Throughout its inaugural year, IGB has upheld an impeccable record, meeting all daily nominations with no major interruptions in gas flow. This achievement is due to the strict implementation of our operations procedures, but also to ICGB’s dedicated team of outstanding professionals”, said ICGB’s Executive Officers Teodora Georgieva and George Satlas.

Launched concurrently with the commencement of the gas year on October 1st, 2022, the interconnector linking Greece and Bulgaria has established a fresh pathway for the reliable and diversified supply of natural gas to Bulgaria and the broader region.

As of now, IGB boasts a roster of 39 registered users, operating at a technical capacity of 3 billion cubic meters per year, with a significant portion of its capacity already reserved for the upcoming gas year. This interconnector currently fulfills roughly half of Bulgaria’s domestic gas consumption needs. Given the evolving security dynamics in the region, IGB has rapidly emerged as a pivotal piece of infrastructure that also holds the potential to facilitate natural gas transportation to Moldova and Ukraine via the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline.

ICGB has recently initiated the initial phases of an incremental capacity assessment procedure to gauge market demand for expanding IGB’s capacity to 5 billion cubic meters per year, with promising indicators emerging during the non-binding phase.

The Greece-Bulgaria interconnector seamlessly links Bulgaria to the Southern Gas Corridor and forms an integral part of the Vertical Gas Corridor. This pipeline enhances energy connectivity and security within the region, granting access to natural gas from an array of new and diversified sources.