Since December, the capacity of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria has been almost completely filled, reaching over 94 per cent just months after the start of commercial operation.
Overall, 4.875 million megawatt-hours (MWh) were transported through the Greece-Bulgaria gas pipeline for the period 1 October to 31 December and, by the end of 2022, there were 11 registered users of the interconnector.
The 182-kilometre 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 metres (bcm) per year, with 1.57 bcm 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 provided nearly one-third of the winter consumption of natural gas in 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 optimised 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.
