ICGB, Southeastern European TSOs open two new gas supply routes to Ukraine
BAKU. Nov 10 (Interfax) - ICGB, the independent gas transmission system operator (TSO) of the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector, and the TSOs of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine have signed an agreement to launch two new routes for natural gas deliveries from northern Greece to Ukraine, ICGB said in a press release.
ICGB and the TSOs of Greece (DESFA S.A.), Bulgaria (Bulgartransgaz EAD), Romania (Transgaz S.A.), Moldova (Vestmoldtransgaz SRL) and Ukraine (GTSOU LLC) "have agreed to establish Route 2 and Route 3 capacity products - new strategic gas transportation options designed to enhance energy security, regional connectivity, and market integration across Southeast and Eastern Europe," the company said.
"During the 6th Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC) in Athens, all TSOs inked their decision to move forward, submitting the new bundled products for approval by the respective national energy regulators," ICGB said.
Routes 2 and 3 are designed to transport gas from the Alexandroupolis LNG terminal and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) through the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector (IGB) and onward via the Trans-Balkan Pipeline, Romania and Moldova to Ukraine.
In the joint letter to regulators, the TSOs proposed that Routes 2 and 3 be available from December 2025 until April 2026, ICGB said.
"The establishment of Routes 2 and 3 complements the successful launch of Route 1 earlier this year and is expected to significantly improve the resilience of gas supply networks across the region," the company said.
ICGB also announced a "discount rate on its tariff - 46%, reaffirming company's commitment to creating economically viable and competitive options for cross-border gas supply."
The coordinated efforts of ICGB and regional TSOs "align closely with the European Commission's strategy for the diversification of gas routes and the gradual replacement of Russian supply with LNG and Caspian sources," the company said. "The implementation of these new routes, supported by substantial tariff reductions, will further enhance Europe's capacity to deliver natural gas where it is most needed [...]."
Route 2 begins at the Amfitriti interconnection point on the DESFA grid, crosses the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector (IGB), and continues through the Trans-Balkan corridor, following the path: Amfitriti - Komotini (IGB) - Stara Zagora - Negru Voda 1 / Kardam - Isaccea 1 / Orlovka - Kaushany - Grebeniki, ICGB said earlier.
Route 3 begins at ICGB's interconnection point with TAP and follows the same path: Komotini (IGB entry from TAP) - Stara Zagora - Negru Voda 1 / Kardam - Isaccea 1 / Orlovka - Kaushany - Grebeniki.
The IGB pipeline, which has a diameter of 813 mm and stretches over 182 km, currently has capacity to carry 3 billion cubic meters of gas per year with potential to increase to 5 bcm. About 1 bcm is reserved long-term under 25-year contracts for gas supplies from Azerbaijan.
IGB operator ICGB AD is a joint venture that was incorporated in Bulgaria in 2011 and is equally owned by BEH EAD and IGI Poseidon. IGI Poseidon, in turn, is equally owned by Greece's DEPA International Projects and Italian energy group Edison S.p.A.
