Bulgartransgaz, CEE peers advance gas corridor expansion plan

Bulgartransgaz, DESFA , FGSZ, Transgaz, Gastrade and ICGB, the operator of the Greece-Bulgaria gas link, are aiming to increase capacity for natural gas transmission, including regasified LNG, from south to north as well as upgrade the pipelines for reverse flow, the Bulgarian state-owned company said on Thursday.

Bulgartransgaz has already launched joint technical studies with Greek operator DESFA, Romanian operator Transgaz and ICGB. Slovakia's Eustream, Gas TSO of Ukraine and Moldovan gas company Energocom are also interested in the project as a way to secure and diversify energy supplies.

"The non-binding phase of the market test clearly showed a need to double the entry capacity from Greece and to double the exit capacity to Romania," Bulgartransgaz CEO Vladimir Malinov said.

Earlier, the operator of the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector, which is a key part of the Vertical Gas Corridor, said that the binding phase of market tests is scheduled for July 2024.

In December last year, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Hungary renewed a memorandum of understanding on the Vertical Gas Corridor, first signed in 2017, as the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis highlighted European energy security and diversification.