site.btaPrime Ministers of Bulgaria and Greece Launch Construction of Gas Interconnector
NW 17:22:02 22-05-2019
LG1721NW.113
113 ECONOMY - GREECE - GAS - INTERCONNECTOR
Prime Ministers of Bulgaria and Greece
Launch Construction
of Gas Interconnector
Sofia, May 22 (BTA) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras launched the construction of the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) on Wednesday by turning the first sod and signing their names on a pipeline segment near Kirkovo, on the Bulgarian side of the two countries' common border. Borissov said that the IGB project is of strategic importance not only for the two countries but also for the Western Balkans and all of Europe. He said the future pipeline will lead to real diversification of natural gas sources and supply routes.
IGB will enable Bulgaria to receive natural gas from Azerbaijan via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline and liquefied natural gas from the United States, Qatar, Algeria, Israel and/or Egypt via a future terminal at Alexandroupolis in Greece.
IGB will be 182 km in length, including 150 km in Bulgarian territory. The pipeline will start from Komotini in Northeastern Greece and will connect to the Bulgarian gas transmission network at Stara Zagora. It will have the capacity to carry between 3 billion and 5 billion cubic metres of gas annually. The project is worth 220 million euro, the press release said.
The two prime ministers stressed IGB's key importance in the context of joint Balkan projects, including the construction of roads, railways, harbours and digital infrastructure, which are essential for regional connectivity and stability.
Tsipras said that such links as IGB contribute to peace and stability in the Balkans and Europe. "This kind of projects reinforce the geopolitical role of Greece and Bulgaria," Tsipras noted. "In recent years, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia have been working on building a ring of connectivity in our region."
According to the Greek Prime Minister, a large part of the natural gas supplies via IGB will come from Azerbaijan through the Trans Adriatic Pipeline. "This project can branch out to Serbia and Romania," he added, highlighting opportunities for connectivity between the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean. The vertical corridor will become part of an energy transportation network which will turn the Balkans into a single energy hub, he said.
Yaqub Eyyubov, First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, who too took part in the ceremony at Kirkovo, said that today sees the realization of the agreements between Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. Eyyubov thanked Bulgaria because IGB is one of the major projects in the Southern Gas Corridor along which Bulgaria will receive gas from Azerbaijan. He said that the bulk of work on the Southern Gas Corridor has been completed and this will bring about improving the energy security of the EU and diversifying its energy sources and routes.
The ceremony was also attended by the energy ministers of Bulgaria and Greece, Temenouzhka Petkova and Giorgos Stathakis, by Bulgarian Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov, Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev, US Deputy Chief of Mission Justin Friedman and mayors of seven municipalities in the area of IGB.
In a special statement published by the US Embassy in Bulgaria, US Ambassador Eric Rubin welcomed this ceremony "as a sign of broad commitment to the gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria by the Bulgarian and Greek sides". "The IGB project carries the promise of energy diversification and greater energy security not only for Bulgaria but also for the region. Energy security is a critical part of national security, as well as a prerequisite for reliable and sustainable economic growth; we hope to see fast continued progress of this interconnector," the statement says. VE/LN/ZH///
LG1721NW.113
113 ECONOMY - GREECE - GAS - INTERCONNECTOR
Prime Ministers of Bulgaria and Greece
Launch Construction
of Gas Interconnector
Sofia, May 22 (BTA) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras launched the construction of the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) on Wednesday by turning the first sod and signing their names on a pipeline segment near Kirkovo, on the Bulgarian side of the two countries' common border. Borissov said that the IGB project is of strategic importance not only for the two countries but also for the Western Balkans and all of Europe. He said the future pipeline will lead to real diversification of natural gas sources and supply routes.
IGB will enable Bulgaria to receive natural gas from Azerbaijan via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline and liquefied natural gas from the United States, Qatar, Algeria, Israel and/or Egypt via a future terminal at Alexandroupolis in Greece.
IGB will be 182 km in length, including 150 km in Bulgarian territory. The pipeline will start from Komotini in Northeastern Greece and will connect to the Bulgarian gas transmission network at Stara Zagora. It will have the capacity to carry between 3 billion and 5 billion cubic metres of gas annually. The project is worth 220 million euro, the press release said.
The two prime ministers stressed IGB's key importance in the context of joint Balkan projects, including the construction of roads, railways, harbours and digital infrastructure, which are essential for regional connectivity and stability.
Tsipras said that such links as IGB contribute to peace and stability in the Balkans and Europe. "This kind of projects reinforce the geopolitical role of Greece and Bulgaria," Tsipras noted. "In recent years, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia have been working on building a ring of connectivity in our region."
According to the Greek Prime Minister, a large part of the natural gas supplies via IGB will come from Azerbaijan through the Trans Adriatic Pipeline. "This project can branch out to Serbia and Romania," he added, highlighting opportunities for connectivity between the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean. The vertical corridor will become part of an energy transportation network which will turn the Balkans into a single energy hub, he said.
Yaqub Eyyubov, First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, who too took part in the ceremony at Kirkovo, said that today sees the realization of the agreements between Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. Eyyubov thanked Bulgaria because IGB is one of the major projects in the Southern Gas Corridor along which Bulgaria will receive gas from Azerbaijan. He said that the bulk of work on the Southern Gas Corridor has been completed and this will bring about improving the energy security of the EU and diversifying its energy sources and routes.
The ceremony was also attended by the energy ministers of Bulgaria and Greece, Temenouzhka Petkova and Giorgos Stathakis, by Bulgarian Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov, Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev, US Deputy Chief of Mission Justin Friedman and mayors of seven municipalities in the area of IGB.
In a special statement published by the US Embassy in Bulgaria, US Ambassador Eric Rubin welcomed this ceremony "as a sign of broad commitment to the gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria by the Bulgarian and Greek sides". "The IGB project carries the promise of energy diversification and greater energy security not only for Bulgaria but also for the region. Energy security is a critical part of national security, as well as a prerequisite for reliable and sustainable economic growth; we hope to see fast continued progress of this interconnector," the statement says. VE/LN/ZH///
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