Gastrade SA, a joint venture of Public Gas Corp. of Greece AE (DEPA) and Bulgarian gas transmission system operator Bulgartransgaz EAD, has received European Commission (EC) approval of €166.7 million ($199 million) in government aid for construction of a new 5.5-billion cu m/year (bcmy) LNG terminal 10 km offshore Alexandroupolis, Greece. The terminal project will consist of a floating storage and regasification unit, mooring system, risers, and 4-km subsea and 24-km onshore gas pipelines to connect it with the Kipi‐Komotini branch of the National Natural Gas System of Greece.
The EC described the project, to be completed by 2023, as “contributing to the security and diversification of energy supplies in Greece and southeast Europe without unduly distorting competition” in designating it a European Project of Common Interest. Links are planned for shipment of gas from the terminal via the NNGS to the Greece-Bulgaria Interconnector (IGB) pipeline, currently under construction.
IGB construction will be complete by December 2021, with commissioning of the 3-bcmy line expected no later than July 2022. The 182-km pipeline will be expandable to 5 bcmy. Half of its initial capacity is already booked, 1 bcmy by Bulgargaz EAD from the Shah Deniz 2 project in the Caspian Sea.
Greek authorities have confirmed the LNG terminal would also be suitable for hydrogen use. Greece will finance the project using European Structural and Investment Funds.