site.btaComplex Stage of Laying of Pipes under River Bed Completed in Project for Gas Interconnector with Greece

Sofia, July 9 (BTA) - Construction works of the Greece-Bulgaria
gas interconnector continue according to the schedule of the
construction agreement as one of the two most complex stages of
work: laying of pipes under the bed of the Maritsa River near
the southern town of Dimitrovgrad, has been successfully
completed, it emerged at a roundtable held as part of the
ongoing Three Seas Initiative (3SI) Sixth Annual Summit during
Bulgaria's hosting of 3SI under the auspices of President Rumen
Radev.

At the roundtable, the executive director of the project company
 ICGB, Teodora Georgieva, presented latest information on the
progress of works of the interconnector, noting the important
role the facility can play in Bulgaria's energy transition to
environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions.

Georgieva said that the construction works progress with a good
pace and the infrastructure is expected to be ready by the end
of the year. More than 100 km of the pipeline are fully ready
and entrenched, welding remains to be done on less than 25 km of
 piping. The interconnector is to be commissioned for commercial
 use by July 1, 2022.
 
The pipeline is 182 km long, of which 151 km in Bulgaria and 31
km in Greece. It runs from Komotini (Northeastern Greece) via
Kurdjali, Haskovo and Dimitrovgrad to Stara Zagora (Southeastern
 Bulgaria). The interconnector is part of the vertical gas
corridor connecting Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary which
provides access to natural gas and LNG from the South Gas
Corridor to Southeastern and Central Europe and Ukraine.

The presentation of the Greece-Bulgaria Gas Iinterconnector
project was one of the highlights of an Energy Panel of the
business forum held as part of 3SI's Sixth Annual Summit hosted
by Sofia.

The Greece-Bulgaria Gas Iinterconnector project is of key
importance for this country and the region due to its strategic
significance for achieving diversification of gas sources and
routes. The facility will improve energy connectivity in
Southeastern Europe as it is built in synergy with other major
existing and future projects, such as TAP and the LNG terminal
in Alexandroupolis, where Bulgaria is a full-fledged
shareholder.

The project is among the key priorities in the energy sector of
the governments of Greece and Bulgaria and is strongly supported
 by the European Commission, the European Investment Bank and
foreign partners including the United States and Azerbaijan.
NV/ZH