IGB creates a completely new route through Bulgaria for the transfer of natural gas from new sources to a number of countries, which reinforces the key role of the interconnector not only at the national level, but also for the entire region of Central and South-Eastern Europe.
Around 4.875 million megawatt hours were transported through the Greece-Bulgaria gas pipeline (IGB) for the period October 1 - December 31, 2022, the ICGB, the pipeline operator, told Trend.
“In December, just months after the pipeline entered commercial operation, IGB’s capacity reached over 94 percent booking rate. By the end of 2022, there are 11 registered users of the interconnector,” said the company.
The 182-kilometer gas pipeline connects the gas transmission networks of Greece and Bulgaria at the Komotini and Stara Zagora points and is Bulgaria's direct connection to the Trans-Adriatic Gas Pipeline (TAP). The total capacity of IGB is 3 billion cubic meters per year, with 1.57 billion cubic meters already booked under long-term contracts lasting up to 25 years. Available capacity is successfully being auctioned on the European platforms PRISMA and RBP.
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.