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From Bulgaria
10.12.2015 17:44
© publics.bg
During an official ceremony held today in Sofia, representatives of the stakeholders of the ICGB project company – the state-owned Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) and IGI Poseidon, including Greek DEPA and Italian Edison, signed today the final investment agreement for a gas interconnector between Greece and Bulgaria. The signing was attended by a number of Greek, Italian, Bulgarian and other officials.
Bulgarian energy minister Temenuzhka Petkova said that the roadmap of the project foresees construction start in October, 2016, while the operational phase is scheduled for mid-2018. Ms. Petkova stated that interconnector would bring actual gas source diversification to the entire region.
Bulgarian vice-PM Tomislav Donchev stressed that “now is the time for real actions”, saying that the ICGB is a step forward towards establishing Bulgaria as a gas distribution center. Mr. Donchev announced that Bulgarian and European Commission experts will form a workgroup for a proposed gas hub in Bulgaria, currently envisaged under the name Balkan. The vice-PM said that the schedule for setting the legal, financial and technical framework for the gas hub is “rather tight”, with plans to present partners and prospective investors with a feasible outline in spring next year. Mr. Donchev said that the gas hub would gather “all types of gas” – from Caspian and Russian, through LNG and expected local onshore and offshore production.
Prime-minister Boyko Borisov expressed his gratitude to all project stakeholders, as well as his Greek colleague Alexis Tsipras, with whom Borisov has agreed earlier this year on the final investment decision signing. Borisov also thanked the EC president Jean-Claude Juncker, as the ICGB was listed among the European projects of common interest (PCIs) for energy infrastructure.
Mr. Borisov also insisted on thanking U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, with whom Borisov had agreed to keep Bulgaria on the map of natural gas transit.
Klaus-Dieter Borchardt, internal energy market director at the EC’s DG Energy, also expressed optimism regarding the idea for a gas hub in Bulgaria.
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