By Trend

Azerbaijani gas volumes to Bulgaria provide the backbone of IGB project, Teodora Georgieva, executive director of the ICGB said, addressing the ceremony of commercial launch of IGB, Trend reports.

“I would like to emphasize the importance of the support of our partners and friends from Azerbaijan. Today they are here once again with the highest presence of President Ilham Aliyev. Azerbaijani gas volumes to Bulgaria provide the backbone of the project and fill a third of its pipeline capacity with potential for additional volumes,” she said.

"Today is of great importance for us - we mark the commercial launch of a strategic energy project, the importance of which goes beyond the national borders of Greece and Bulgaria. With the commissioning of IGB, we are entering a key stage in the development of the region's energy system and taking a huge step forward towards a stronger, more connected and independent Europe," said ICGB Executive Officer Teodora Georgieva. She thanked all parties that contributed to the realization of the project - the shareholders of ICGB, the company's team, the national governments of Greece and Bulgaria over the years, the European Commission and international partners from a number of countries such as Azerbaijan and the USA, as well as the energy regulators of the two countries developing IGB.

"It's no coincidence that the ICGB team and I have been saying over the years that this interconnect is a game-changer. This is the first project in Bulgaria that brings real diversification of natural gas sources and ensures energy independence; the first fully automated gas pipeline in the country, and for its completion we executed the third largest horizontally directed drilling in Europe. IGB will also be Bulgaria's only direct connection with TAP and will make the country part of the Southern Gas Corridor," Georgieva emphasized.