Greece Issues Next Approval for Bulgaria Link

Greece has approved the decision to build the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria gasline, national gas supplier Depa said February 19. The licence was issued by the minister for the environment and energy Yiorgos Stathakis and it will be published in the government gazette in the next few days, Depa said.

The installation permit is a milestone following the already issued installation and route decision in Greece and the corresponding construction licence issued in Bulgaria in 2017, Depa said. The installation permit is needed before building work can start in Greece and follows the land purchase for the Komotini metering station, which is the starting point of the line.

The licence to operate the gas line, which the Greek Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) is expected to issue in the second quarter, is the last licensing step prior to the start of the construction works of the pipeline. The Greek transmission system is operated by Desfa, now majority owned by a consortium of European pipeline operators.

The IGB will have an initial transportation capacity of 3bn m³/yr from Greece to Bulgaria that could be upgraded up to 5bn m³/yr at a later stage, in response to the market demand. The ppeline will also be equipped in order to offer physical or virtual reverse flow.

Depa is an equal partner with Edison in IGI Poseidon; and IGI Poseidon is equal partner with Bulgarian Energy Holdings in Interconnector Greece Bulgaria, giving Depa a 25% indirect stake. Edison is owned by EDF and has been in talks with Russian Gazprom about transporting Russian gas through southern Europe.