Bulgaria has sent a request to Greece to reserve capacity at the Revithoussa LNG terminal
The request is viewed positively in Greece as planned LNG cargoes for the Greek market, combined with the existing energy reserves, will suffice to cover the country’s consumption needs, the Kathimerini newspaper reported on Saturday.
There is also a positive reaction regarding Bulgaria's request to secure additional quantities of natural gas from the TAP pipeline, which carries natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe via Turkey and Greece, Kathimerini added.
The Greek gas transmission system is connected with that of Bulgaria at Sidirokastro, the point at which Russian natural gas is imported into Greece, where there is also the option of countercurrent flows to supply Bulgaria, Kathimerini said.
The Revithoussa LNG Terminal is located on the islet of Revithoussa, some 45 km west of Athens. With a storage capacity of 225,000 cu m LNG and a regasification capacity of 1,250 cu m/h, the terminal is an important energy asset for Greece, providing security of energy supply, operational flexibility in the transmission system, and increased capability to meet peak gas demand, DESFA says on its website.
Bulgaria will stop its electricity exports if Russia halts gas supplies to the country, Bulgarian prime minister Kiril Petkov said in a video file published on the website of Bulgarian public television BNT last week. "The good news here is that the pipeline that supplies gas to Bulgaria supplies both Serbia and Hungary as well, which are still Russia’s strategic partners,” Petkov noted. Bulgaria imports from Russia almost all the gas it needs. Last week, Bulgaria's government condemned the Russian military invasion of Ukraine and said it decided to send humanitarian and military logistical aid to Ukraine, thus joining 25 donor states from the EU and NATO.