Konstantinos Xifaras, the CEO of Public Gas Corporation of Greece (DEPA), announced on social media the countdown for the commercial operations at the LNG Terminal in Alexandroupolis, expected to launch on October 1, 2024, following the successful completion of all “commissioning” tests of the project.
The DEPA CEO noted in his post: “This extremely important project will be pivotal in establishing a dynamic regional hub for natural gas trading in Southeastern and Central Europe, significantly enhancing the region’s energy security.”
The LNG Terminal in Alexandroupolis is expected to play a crucial role in advancing the Vertical Corridor Initiative, a project aimed at transferring natural gas to the EU market, from Greece to Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, and Ukraine,, and vice versa, through European natural gas and LNG transmission systems.
The Alexandroupolis terminal will leverage the improved capabilities of the new under-development Floating Storage Regasification Units (FSRUs) in the area, enhancing the connectivity and resilience of the region’s energy network, while also contributing to the diversification of energy sources.
Xifaras, who congratulated Gastrade, which manages the project with five separate shareholders, said: “We’re starting! Another important project for our country, in which we participate as a company, is coming into operation. Following the ICGB interconnector pipeline, the energy puzzle is being completed as the commercial operation of the LNG terminal in Alexandroupolis will commence on October 1, 2024, after the successful completion of all the ‘commissioning’ tests of the project!”.
The Alexandroupolis LNG terminal connects directly to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) which transports Azerbaijani gas from the Turkish border, across all of Northern Greece and continues on to Italy via undersea link from Albania. The majority of the imported LNG is not currently planned for sale in Greece; it is estimated that 60-70 percent of the gas produced at the regasification unit will be exported through the new Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) pipeline in reverse flow to Bulgaria, if not sent further.
