Sofia, July 15 (BTA) - Valentin Nikolov, CEO of Bulgarian Energy
 Holding (BEH) EAD, Nikolay Pavlov, Executive Director of
Bulgargaz EAD, Vladimir Malinov, Executive Director of
Bulgartransgaz EAD, and Teodora Georgieva, Executive Officer of
ICGB AD, held a working meeting to discuss the progress of the
gas interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB Project), BEH reported
on Thursday.

The participants in the meeting reaffirmed the importance of the
 project for the Bulgarian energy and economy and made a
commitment to consolidate efforts to take concrete steps for the
 timely commissioning of the gas pipeline.

After analysis and preparation of specific proposals, they will
be presented to the responsible institutions, BEH informed.

Running between Stara Zagora in Southern Bulgaria and Komotini
in Greece via Dimitrovgrad, the Bulgaria-Greece interconnector
is an entirely new route for transmission of natural gas to
Europe and will give Bulgaria and the region access to supplies
from new sources. It will connect Bulgaria with the Southern Gas
 Corridor and also has excellent synergy with major energy
projects such as TAP, TANAP, EastMed and the LNG terminal at
Alexandroupolis. The construction of the 182-km pipeline started
 in May of 2019, and was supposed to be completed by April of
2021.

During the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) Sixth Annual Summit on
July 9 the executive director of the project company for the
Bulgaria-Greece gas interconnector ICGB Teodora Georgieva said
that the construction works progress with a good pace and the
infrastructure is expected to be ready by the end of the year.
More than 100 km of the pipeline are fully ready and entrenched,
 welding remains to be done on less than 25 km of piping. The
interconnector is to be commissioned for commercial use by July
1, 2022.

NV/MT