April 8 (SeeNews) - Greece and Bulgaria will seek to accelerate the construction of a gas interconnector between the two countries, as all tender procedures are expected to be completed by the end of April, the Bulgarian energy ministry said on Monday.
Bulgarian energy minister Temenuzhka Petkova and her Greek counterpart Giorgos Stathakis discussed the next steps in the implementation of the project, which would make it possible to put the gas interconnector into operation in 2020, simultaneously with the launch of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the energy ministry said in a statement.
The ongoing tender procedures are for the selection of companies to build the gas link, supply the pipes and supervise the construction works, the statement added.
ICGB, the company developing the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria project, was planning to complete the selection process in May, paving the way for construction work to begin in June. The deadline for completing construction works is 18 months from their start.
The Greece-Bulgaria pipeline, connecting the Greek gas transmission system in the area of Komotini to the Bulgarian gas transmission system in the area of Stara Zagora, is expected to carry gas from TAP.
The gas link is estimated to cost 220 million euro ($256.5 million).
Earlier this month the European Commission said that it has approved 33 million euro in EU financing for the construction of the gas interconnector Greece-Bulgaria.
($ = 0.8576 euro)