Production Reconstruction, Environment and Energy Minister Panagiotis Lafazanis held a meeting with Bulgarian Ambassador to Athens Emilia Kraleva yesterday, its agenda focused on natural gas pipeline matters, primarily the Vertical Gas Corridor (VGC), planned to interconnect Greece Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary, as well as IGB, the Greek-Bulgarian interconnector.

The two officials exchanged views ahead of a meeting tomorrow in Sofia involving the energy ministers of Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania for talks on the VGC pipeline’s development prospects.

The IGB interconnection project, to link Komotini, in Greece’s northeast, with the Bulgarian city Stara Zaogora in the country’s south, will be incorporated into the VGC’s wider framework.

Within Greece, the IGB interconnector will be linked to an exisiting DESFA (Natural Gas Transmission System Operator) gas pipeline, as well as the prospective TAP (Trans Adriatic Pipeline) project, planned to supply Azeri gas to the EU, via Greek territory.

The IGB interconnector is expected to transmit an annual quantity of three billion to five billion cubic meters, while its construction is scheduled to begin in early 2016.

During his meeting with Kraleva, the Bulgarian ambassador, Lafazanis pointed out the need for energy security and sufficiency in the region, and, on a wider level, throughout the European Union. The Greek energy minister stressed it is important for the IGB interconnector to be constructed swiftly, while adding that Greece is determined to contribute to the speedy development of the region’s wider VGC project.