IGB contacted the national gas transmission network of Bulgaria

The Greece-Bulgaria interconnector is now successfully connected to the Bulgarian national and transit gas transmission network. The connection of the infrastructure of the two independent transmission operators for Bulgaria - ICGB and Bulgartransgaz - was carried out near Stara Zagora in the period August 16-17. The process is completed with three gold welds*.

The IGB gas pipeline has already been successfully connected to neighboring operators in both countries, thus the physical transmission of gas through the facility is technically ensured.

Earlier this year, IGB successfully connected to the Trans-Adriatic Gas Pipeline (TAP). The physical connection was made at the gas measuring station of the gas pipeline to the Greek city of Komotini.

After completion of the mandatory non-destructive testing of the connection to the Bulgartransgaz grid, the section will be backfilled, completing all mechanical work.

The intersystem gas connection with Greece is in the final stage of implementation before the start of commercial operation, planned for the beginning of the upcoming heating period. The gas pipeline and all adjacent land facilities are completed, serviceable and tested with actual quantities of natural gas. The IGB is of key importance for increasing the security of natural gas supplies and for ensuring the diversification of gas sources for Bulgaria and the entire region of Southeast Europe. The gas pipeline will connect Bulgaria to the Southern Gas Corridor and has excellent synergy with other major energy projects such as TAP, TANAP, EastMed and the LNG terminal in Alexandroupolis.

A gold weld is a weld that is not hydraulically tested, but instead undergoes extensive non-destructive testing to ensure that the weld is free of defects and fully compliant with applicable quality standards.