Greece and Bulgaria start gas project

Bulgaria and Greece have started the operation of a gas pipeline that will help reduce southeast Europe's reliance on Russian supplies.

The 182-kilometer link stretches from the northeastern Greek city of Komotini to Stara Zagora in central Bulgaria.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the project was an important step toward ending dependence on Russian energy imports, reported Reuters.

"This pipeline is a game changer. It's a game changer for Bulgaria and for Europe's energy security," von der Leyen said during an inauguration ceremony in Sofia on Saturday that was attended by heads of state and government from the region.

She noted that the commission had provided nearly 250 million euros ($245 million) to finance the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria pipeline, or IGB, which was completed in July.

Russia's energy giant Gazprom has limited its gas deliveries to Europe after the West imposed sanctions on Moscow in reaction to conflict in Ukraine. Bulgaria has been struggling to secure gas supplies since the end of April, when shipments from Russia were cut following Sofia's refusal to pay in roubles currency.

The IGB pipeline aims for a capacity of 3 billion cubic meters of gas each year, with a possible future expansion to 5 billion cubic meters.

The pipeline is controlled by a joint venture between Bulgarian state energy company BEH, Greek gas utility DEPA and Italy's Edison, the Reuters news agency said.

The new conduit links to an existing southern pipeline that carries gas from Azerbaijan to Europe. Reuters noted that gas operators in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia on Friday proposed to increase shipments of gas from Azerbaijan through their networks to central Europe.

The Bulgarian executive of the IGB project, Teodora Georgieva, said the pipeline would help supply other countries in southeastern Europe, reported the Associated Press.

"We have the opportunity to supply gas to the Western Balkans, to ensure supplies to Moldova and Ukraine," Georgieva said.

The IGB is the second European gas conduit to start operations in the last week after fuel began flowing through the Baltic Sea pipeline on Saturday. The north European link transports gas from Norway, through Danish waters and the Baltic seabed, to northwestern Poland. Russia cut gas supplies to Poland in April when it refused to pay in roubles.

The Baltic Sea pipeline will have an annual capacity of 10 billion cubic meters, noted Euronews. It was officially inaugurated on Tuesday, a day after leaks were detected in the undersea Nord Stream gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe.