The managements of the gas transmission operators of Bulgaria and Romania, Bulgartransgaz EAD and Transgaz Romania, signed a contract for the construction of the Danube River undercrossing of the Interconnection Bulgaria-Romania (IBR) with the Austrian company Habau PPS Pipeline Systems SRL. The Minister of Energy, Temenuzhka Petkova and BEH EAD’s CEO Petyo Ivanov attended the event.
The construction of the IBR undercrossing shall be completed in 119 days. The length of the undercrossing is 2.1 km, the maximum capacity is 1.5 bcm/y. Following the contract signing Bulgartransgaz EAD Executive Director Georgi Gegov thanked his Romanian colleague from Transgaz Grigore Tarsac for the successful cooperation between the transmission system operators of the two countries.
“The completion of the IBR opens a new page in the Bulgarian energy sector”, said the Minister of Energy Temenuzhka Petkova during the signing of the IBR undercrossing contract. “We hope that Bulgaria will have its first running interconnection in four months, which is a real step towards the implementation of the European Energy Union’s principles – sustainable and secure supplies, competitiveness and energy affordable for the users”, highlighted Petkova. In her words the IBR construction is proof that the diversification in the country in not only a wish, but a reality.
The active work for the realization of the Interconnection projects with the neighbouring countries for expanding and modernizing the gas transmission network, and developing the domestic gas production give Bulgaria serious chances for increasing both the country’s and the regional energy security and contribute to better competitive supplies for the users of South-East Europe.
