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

Open call for green hydrogen combined heat and power pilot project in Western Macedonia

Open call for green hydrogen high-efficiency CHP pilot plant in northern Greece

04 July 2025 - The Greek government has opened a call for a pilot CHP unit in Western Macedonia that would run on green hydrogen

Foreign renewable energy investors remain committed to Romania as large plants coming online

Foreign renewable energy investors remain committed to Romania as large plants coming online

04 July 2025 - Renewable energy companies from abroad aren't intimidated by negative power prices in Romania, especially with the BESS segment accelerating

projects euros modernisation fund celan energy

EU’s Modernisation Fund disburses EUR 3.66 billion for clean energy projects in nine countries

04 July 2025 - Focusing on renewables, grids, storage, and energy efficiency, the funds will support projects in Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and Romania.

sostanj coal fired plant unit 6

Slovenia’s sole coal-fired power plant Šoštanj to keep main unit offline until fall

04 July 2025 - The 600 MW unit at Šoštanj will not be restarted until the end of September, when demand for heat is set to rise.