A new pipeline – built during the COVID-19 pandemic, tested and due to go commercial in June – would ensure that large volumes of natural gas flow between the two countries in both directions to generate electricity and fuel industry. and home heating. The energy connection becomes more important after Moscow’s decision this week to cut off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria amid demand for ruble payments stemming from Western sanctions over the Ukraine war. The 180-kilometer (110-mile) pipeline project is the first of many planned gas connections that will give members of the Eastern European Union and countries hoping to join the 27-nation bloc access to the global gas market. In the short term, it is the backup of Bulgaria. The new pipeline connection, called Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria, will give the country access to ports in neighboring Greece that import liquefied natural gas or LNG, and will also bring gas from Azerbaijan through a new pipeline system ending in Italy. It is one of the many efforts as EU members try to process their energy mixes, with some returning to high-carbon emissions while planning expanded production from renewable sources. Germany, the world’s largest buyer of Russian energy, is trying to build LNG terminals that will take years. Italy, another leading Russian gas importer, has agreements with Algeria, Azerbaijan, Angola and Congo on gas supplies. The European Union wants to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas by two-thirds this year and eliminate it completely within five years through alternative sources, using wind and solar energy and saving energy. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is likely to accelerate changes in the EU’s long-term strategy as the bloc adjusts to energy that is more expensive but also more integrated between Member States, said Simone Tagliapietra, an energy expert at the think tank Bruegel. based in Brussels. “It’s a new world,” he said. “And in this new world, it is clear that Russia does not want to be part of an international order as we think it is.” Tagliapietra added: “The strategy – especially from Germany – for the last 50 years has always been a strategy of cooperation with Russia in the field of energy. “But given what we see in Ukraine and taking into account Russia’s view of international relations, it is not the kind of country we would like to work with.” EU policymakers say that while Eastern European members are among the most dependent on Russian gas, the size of their markets makes the problem manageable. Bulgaria imported 90% of its natural gas from Russia, but consumes only 3 billion cubic meters per year – 30 times less than Germany, according to 2020 figures from the EU statistical office Eurostat. The Greece-Bulgaria pipeline will complement the existing European network, much of which dates back to Soviet times, when Moscow sought much-needed funds for its faltering economy and Western suppliers to help build its pipelines. The connection will extend between the northeastern Greek city of Komotini and Stara Zagora, in central Bulgaria, and will give Bulgaria and its neighbors new access to the expanding global gas market. This includes a connection to the newly built Trans Adriatic Pipeline, which carries natural gas from Azerbaijan, and liquefied natural gas suppliers that arrive by ship, possibly to Qatar, Algeria and the United States. Up to eight additional interconnections could be built in Eastern Europe, reaching as far as Ukraine and Austria. The € 240 million ($ 250 million) pipeline will carry 3 billion cubic meters of gas a year, with the potential to expand to $ 5 billion. It has received funding from Bulgaria, Greece and the EU and has strong political support from Brussels and the United States. On the ground, the project experienced multiple delays due to supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Receiving specialized spare parts and moving staff after construction began in early 2020 soon became increasingly difficult, said Antonis Mitzalis, executive director of the Greek company AVAX, which oversaw the project. Construction of the pipeline was completed in early April, he said, while work and testing at two metering stations and software installation are in the final stages. “It simply came to our notice then. “But the fact that some materials did not arrive made us work on this series again, sometimes with a cost effect”, said Mitzalis. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis missed a tour of the site last month after being infected by COVID-19. He spoke Wednesday with his Bulgarian counterpart, Kiril Petkov, to provide assurances of Greek support. “Bulgaria and Greece will continue to work together on energy security and diversification – of strategic importance to both countries and the region,” Petkov later wrote on Twitter. “We are both confident that the IGB will be completed on time.” ___ Follow the AP coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine ___ Follow Gatopoulos at
