Energy Crisis

Greece, North Macedonia reach final investment decision on natural gas interconnector

greece north macedonia natural gas pipeline

Photo: Nomagas

Published

October 30, 2023

Comments

comments icon

0

Share

Published:

October 30, 2023

Comments:

comments icon

0

Share

Greece and North Macedonia have made the final investment decision to build a 123-kilometer gas pipeline. Their first natural gas interconnection would give North Macedonia an alternative to its only supplying route from Bulgaria.

Greece’s National Natural Gas System Operator – DESFA and North Macedonia’s natural gas transmission company Nomagas have reached the final investment decision, DESFA CEO Maria Rita Galli announced at the 27th Annual Economist Government Roundtable.

She added that the Greece – North Macedonia gas interconnector entered the construction phase.

The pipeline will add a new energy supply route for North Macedonia while further strengthening the role of Greece as an energy gateway for Southeast Europe, she stressed.

Interconnector is expected to be completed by the end of 2024

The interconnector, in her words, is expected to be finished by the end of 2024. It will be 100% hydrogen-ready, supporting the transition to a more sustainable and low-carbon energy system in the region, Galli said.

Of note, a few weeks ago DESFA and Nomagas signed a contract for the supervision of the construction of North Macedonia’s section of the 123-kilometer gas interconnector.

DESFA will be in charge of the supervision of works on the 68-kilometer segment in North Macedonia. The Greek company was awarded the job in a tender procedure.

The pipeline’s initial capacity will be 1.5 billion cubic meters per year

The financing for the supervision was approved by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EUR 2.47 million grant was paid out through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF).

The interconnector will run from Nea Mesimvria to Negotino via the Evzoni/Gevgelija crossing. Its initial capacity will be 1.5 billion cubic meters per year, with the possibility of expanding it to three billion cubic meters.

DESFA also said that studies have been carried out to adopt the appropriate requirements for the pipeline to carry green hydrogen.

Tags: ,
Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

belgrade energy forum bef 2025 western balkans electricity market coupling cbam

Western Balkans power markets: hope for coupling with EU, concerns about CBAM

29 May 2025 - Representatives of TSOs, regulators and power exchanges gathered at a panel on the integration of Western Balkans markets into the EU market

Global battery storage capacity expands record 200 GWh 2024

Global battery storage capacity expands by record 200 GWh in 2024

29 May 2025 - The cost of storing electricity has dropped thanks to the declining cost of battery projects and technological advancements, Rystad says

Olympus CCUS project breaks ground in Greece

Olympus carbon capture project breaks ground in Greece

29 May 2025 - Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is a must for the future of the cement industry, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said

CyberGrid is committed to energy transition in SEE with its aggregation solutions Candellari

CyberGrid is committed to energy transition in SEE with its aggregation solutions

28 May 2025 - CyberGrid's Nikolaj Candellari said at BEF 2025 that the firm believes in the energy transition in SEE, contributing to the process with its solutions