December 1 (SeeNews) - The Greece-Bulgaria natural gas interconnector, IGB, began transporting gas to Moldova, independent transmission operator ICGB said on Thursday.
As a result, over 80% of the IGB pipeline's total capacity of 3 billion cubic metres per year has now been booked, ICGB said without indicating the volume of deliveries to Moldova.
The interconnector, which enables imports of natural gas to Bulgaria from Azerbaijan via Greece, has been operating since October 1, covering around a third of Bulgaria's consumption needs in the current heating season. It has also facilitated imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from terminals in Greece and Turkey.
"For the time being, the capacity reserved for Moldova will also be used to secure the necessary quantities for the country's domestic consumption during the winter period, ensuring a reliable and predictable source of supply," ICGB added.
Last month, Bulgaria and Moldova, which until now has been entirely reliant on gas imports from Russia's Gazprom via Ukraine, signed an agreement granting Moldova access to natural gas via the network of state-owned gas transmission system operator Bulgatransgaz in a bid to improve energy security in Southeast Europe.
Earlier this week, the CEO of Moldovan public natural gas distributor Moldovagaz, Vadim Ceban, announced that the company paid Russia's Gazprom $21.4 million (20.4 million euro) for deliveries of gas in November.
($= 0.951633 euro)