(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Sabina Mammadli
All gas storage facilities of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria
(IGB), designed to transport Azerbaijani gas, have been filled,
Azernews reports per ICGB AD.
According to the company, currently, all main construction
activities for the implementation of the project have been
completed, and since mid-June, all gas storage facilities have been
filled with gas and successfully tested with actual quantities of
natural gas.
It was stated that the gas pipeline and all the adjacent
above-ground facilities – seven block valves, two gas metering
stations, and one dispatch center – are completed and are
technically sound, which was established both by the construction
supervision of the project and by a number of inspections and tests
carried out in recent months.
“To date, all 182 km and the adjacent facilities are filled with
natural gas at a pressure of 40 bar. The execution of secondary
activities, which are not directly related to the operation of the
interconnector but are part of the planned project activities under
the ECP contract, is ongoing,” the company noted.
ICGB submitted a proposal to the Bulgarian Ministry of Regional
Development and Public Works for establishing the phasing of the
project to speed up the necessary administrative processes for the
insurance of Acts 15 and 16.
The main goal of the project is to carry out all the necessary
activities for the start of commercial operation under Phase 1,
which would allow a timely start of natural gas transmission
through the interconnector.
Under Phase 1, the highest priority activities include the
already completed construction of the gas pipeline and the
above-ground facilities, testing of cathodic protection, laying
signs along the gas pipeline, and completing the integration and
testing of the SCADA system for automatic control and management of
the interconnector, testing of the fire protection system of the
dispatch center, etc.
The other phase includes finalizing the placement of spare
optical cable, implementing anti-erosion measures along the route
of the gas pipeline, as well as completing the road to the gas
metering station near Stara Zagora.
Separately, it was reported that Greek company AVAX, which is
executing the contract for the design, construction, and
commissioning of IGB, has submitted information to ICGB indicating
the end of August as a deadline for the completion of the Phase 1
activities.
This also includes prioritizing the completion of the automated
(SCADA) system that is required for managing the gas pipeline.
The IGB project is of key importance for increasing the security
of supply and for ensuring diversification of natural gas sources
for Bulgaria and the region of southeastern Europe. At the regional
level, IGB will provide access to the gas transmission network for
Bulgarian municipalities and regions that didn't have an option for
connectivity.
The interconnector via Greece is an entirely new route for the
transmission of natural gas to Europe and will give Bulgaria and
the region access to supplies from new sources. The project will
connect the country with the Southern Gas Corridor and has
excellent synergy with other major energy projects such as TAP,
TANAP, EastMed, and the LNG terminal at Alexandroupolis.
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