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All IGB facilities filled with gas

13 August 2022 12:31 (UTC+04:00)
All IGB facilities filled with gas

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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