IGB with Permit for use on the territory of Bulgaria and Greece

The intersystem gas connection Greece-Bulgaria has been issued a Permit for use on the territory of Bulgaria. The gas pipeline is scheduled to start operating on October 1, the first day of the new gas year and the heating season.

After a two-day meeting of the acceptance commission for Act 16 convened by DNSK, the document was issued at the end of the day on Tuesday, giving grounds to issue a Permit for Use. This is the last administrative step necessary for the legal introduction of the interconnector into operation on the territory of Bulgaria. The document certifies that the facility is fit for commissioning and allows the start of commercial activity from October 1st. A similar document is expected to be issued by the Greek side later today.

The usage permit was handed to the executive directors of ICGB, Teodora Georgieva and Georgios Satlas, by the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Arch. Ivan Shishkov. "This is an extremely important day not only for the project and for ICGB as a transmission operator, but also for consumers in Greece and Bulgaria. This document allows us to launch commercial activity in time for the heating season, which was the top priority of all parties involved in the implementation of the interconnector," said Georgieva and Satlas. They emphasized that the IGB gas pipeline is a completely new route for reliable natural gas supplies, which will ensure diversification of gas sources and increase competition in the market. "This will be directly felt by both business and end users," said the executive directors of the second independent transmission operator in Bulgaria.

The ICGB agreed in advance with 27 institutions the necessary opinions, documents and permits with a view to optimized implementation of the procedure for issuing Act 16. By the start of operation of the facility on October 1st, the Bulgarian energy regulator EWRC must reconfirm the already issued license of the company as a transmission operator , as well as the ICGB Network and Tariff Code. This is expected to happen on Friday.

The project already has a Permit for operation on the territory of Greece

The Interconnector with Greece has already been issued a Permit for the operation of the territory of our southern neighbor, which allows the commercial operation of the gas pipeline to begin on October 1, 2022, the company announced a little later today.

The intersystem gas connection Greece-Bulgaria received a Permit for operation on the territory of Greece. This is the last administrative step necessary for the legal introduction of the interconnector into operation on the territory of Greece.

The preparation for the fulfillment of the preliminary conditions for issuing a permit for the operation of the gas pipeline started earlier this year in the month of January. The procedure in Greece includes a number of meetings with the authorities, independent third-party inspections, coordination with the contractor of the construction works, the Trans-Adriatic Gas Pipeline (TAP), the Greek national operator DESFA, and the preparation and provision of all necessary project documentation.

ICGB Executive Directors Teodora Georgieva and Georgios Satlas emphasized the importance of the IGB for Greece, Bulgaria and other countries in the region. The two pointed out that the IGB gas pipeline is an entirely new route for reliable natural gas supplies, which will ensure diversification of gas sources and increase competition in the market. "We would like to thank all parties who contributed to the successful construction of the interconnector and its licensing. We already have everything we need to start commercial activity on the first day of the new heating season - October 1," said Georgieva and Satlas.

The IGB is of key importance for increasing the security of supply and for ensuring the diversification of natural gas sources for Bulgaria and the region of South-Eastern Europe. The project connects our country directly to the Southern Gas Corridor and will allow secure supplies from various sources to a number of countries in Central and Southeastern Europe, including Moldova and Ukraine.