Bulgaria-Serbia gas interconnector commissioned to offer Serbs supply options of Azerbaijan gas and Greek LNG
Serbia, the Balkan state that was part of the former Yugoslavia and has been a candidate nation for 10 years to be a member of the European Union, has completed an interconnector pipeline to Bulgaria giving the Serbs supply options of regasified LNG from Greece or pipeline gas from Azerbaijan to replace Russian supplies.
Greek venture launches construction of gas-fired power plant as part of Alexandroupolis LNG hub for Balkans
A Greek joint venture has held a ceremony for the construction of a gas-fired power plant that will help underpin the LNG floating storage and regasification (FSRU) project at the eastern Greek port of Alexandroupolis.
The Alexandroupolis Power Plant is being built by a consortium of Greece’s three major energy groups, PPC, DEPA (the Public Gas Corporation of Greece ) and Damco Energy, a unit of the Copelouzos Group.
The launch ceremony for the power project was attended by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as well as others involved in supporting the Greek and Balkans region project, including representatives of the Bulgarian and US governments.
The power plant will be directly connected to the FSRU import project led by Greek company Gastrade and with the vessel being provided by one of the world’s leading LNG carrier companies GasLog.
“Alexandroupolis is turning into an energy junction of electricity and natural gas networks, with the potential of supplying the domestic market and neighbouring countries in Southeast Europe,” said a statement.
The FSRU will consist of a permanently moored FSRU and a pipeline system of 28 kilometres connecting the floating unit to the Greek National Natural Gas Transmission System (NNGTS).
Aegean location
The vessel will be stationed in the north-eastern part of the Aegean Sea and about 17.6km from the town of Alexandroupolis.
The GasLog vessel will have a storage capacity of 153,500 cubic metres and a nominal gas send-out rate of 625,000 cubic metres per hour.
The new power plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2025. It will be a combined-cycle facility with installed capacity of 840 megawatts, which is approximately the net capacity of three coal-fired plants currently being decommissioned.
“We are here to welcome a project that is changing the energy landscape and Greece is now shielded,” said Christos Copelouzos, Chief Executive of the Copelouzos Group.
“At the same time, a new energy pillar is being created for Southeast Europe, as our country will be able to export electricity to the neighbouring Balkan states, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and even Serbia,” he added.
“As a Group, we chose the location of the plant here in Alexandroupolis. After all, for years we have been paying special attention to the wider Evros region, fully acknowledging its important geostrategic position,” explained the CEO.
“We are creating infrastructure, which, together with other projects under implementation in the region, such as the FSRU Alexandroupolis, will generate opportunities for the development of the local economy and many new and permanent jobs,” he stated.
“With confidence in Greece and its people, we at Copelouzos Group will continue to develop projects of ‘national identity’. These include investments that are being thoroughly prepared, such as the electrical interconnection between Greece and Egypt and offshore wind farms,” he concluded.
Balkans region LNG project decides to proceed and expects competitive and varied spread of suppliers
Gastrade SA, the Greek company developing an offshore LNG import terminal to serve eastern Greece and the Balkan nations, said a positive final investment decision has been taken to proceed with the joint venture.
Greek-led floating LNG terminal project off port of Alexandroupolis signs North Macedonia accords
Greek company Gastrade, the lead developer of a joint venture floating LNG terminal offshore Greece’s northeast port of Alexandroupolis to serve the Balkans, has signed accords with two utilities in North Macedonia, a part of the former Yugoslavia until 1991 when it became an independent state.
Bulgarian gas grid operator takes stake in floating LNG terminal to be deployed off northeast Greece
The natural gas transmission network of Bulgaria has completed its share participation transaction in the Alexandroupolis floating LNG import terminal proposed to supply the Balkans region with regasified volumes from offshore northeast Greece.
Greek FLNG terminal planned for offshore Thrace launches second phase of a market test
Gastrade, a Greek utility company and developer of the Alexandroupolis floating LNG terminal, has launched the second phase of a market test for the project to gauge demand in Greece and the Balkan states.
Greek and Balkans FLNG terminal extends expressions of interest deadline to February 15
The liquefied natural gas hub and terminal project planned by Greek company Gastrade for the port of Alexandroupolis to serve the Balkans has revised its invitation for expressions of interest as the delivery of the floating storage and regasification unit will take six months longer than originally scheduled.
Greek and Balkans floating LNG import hub attracts 20 companies interested in capacity
Greek utility Gastrade said 20 companies submitted expressions of interest in the first phase of its market test for the reservation of regasification capacity at the floating storage and regasification unit planned for the port of Alexandroupolis in northeast Greece.
