As at mid-April, 91 per cent of all construction works have been completed. Among the main elements that need to be finished are two gas metering stations at Stara Zagora, South Central Bulgaria, and at Komotini, Greece, Report informs, citing foreign media.
The interconnector is of crucial importance for diversifying the sources and routes of gas supplies to Bulgaria, which now is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas.
Hydrostatic pressure testing is one of several methods to reconfirm the structural integrity of a gas pipeline.
The test involves filling a pipeline segment with water until it is at a pressure that is higher than the pipeline will ever operate with natural gas. The test allows the project company to confirm the safe working pressure of the pipeline and to guarantee that the installation is structurally sound, verifying its quality.
ICGB executive directors Teodora Georgieva and Konstantinos Karayannakos said that the finalization of the hydrostatic pressure testing is a key step towards finishing the interconnector and putting it into operation.
In their words, the IGB project is strategical and ever more important not only for Bulgaria and Greece but also for the whole region, therefore the construction company is expected to finish their work as soon as possible in order for the corresponding institutions to start all necessary administrative procedures for putting the interconnector into operation.
The IGB envisages the transportation of gas produced in the second phase of the Shah Deniz gas condensate field in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea to Bulgaria. Through this pipeline, which will be connected to TAP, Bulgaria will import 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from Azerbaijan. Thus, the state company Bulgargaz EAD has signed a contract with the Shah Deniz consortium to purchase this amount of gas from the Shah Deniz-2 field. At the expense of Azerbaijani natural gas, Bulgaria will be able to meet 25-30% of its gas needs. The construction of the IGB is expected to be completed in the second half of next year.
A total of 150 kilometers of the 182-kilometer pipeline will pass through Bulgaria. The annual capacity of the pipeline is estimated at 3-5 billion cubic meters.
As part of the development of the Southern Gas Corridor, the countries of South-Eastern and Central Europe will have the opportunity to import alternative supplies and liquefied natural gas from the Caspian region through the IGB.