Alexis Tsipras signs gas pipeline deal with Bulgaria’s Borissov and Jean-Claude Juncker
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Prime Ministerr Alexis Tsipras signed a statement of political support on Friday for the construction of a Greek-Bulgarian gas pipeline with Bulgarian peer Boyko Borissov and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
“Prime ministers @BoykoBorissov, @tsipras_eu, President @JunckerEU sign statement of political support for the #Gas Interconnection #Bulgaria-#Greece. Construction work to start by the end of 2018, operations as of 2020. Important step towards Energy Union,” said a tweet from chief EU spokesman Margaritis Schinas.
Seperately, gas company DEPA said on Friday that several agreements were signed in Sofia regarding the construction of the IGB gas pipeline.
A cooperation agreement was signed between IGB and TAP for connectivity of the two gas pipelines, while, a joint declaration was also signed between the shareholders in the project company for confirming a commitment to start construction, DEPA said in a statement.
Additionally, a Memorandum of Understanding between the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) was signed regarding the realization of the IGB project. The memorandum concerns securing preferential loan financing in connection with using the state guarantee of Bulgaria (expected 110 million euros) and is a key step in IGB’s realization. The preferential loan is one of the main sources of funding for the project.
Lastly, there was a cooperation agreement for interconnection between ICGB and DESFA, laying grounds for defining the relations between both countries for reaching an agreement on the physical connectivity between DESFA’s gas pipelines and IGB.
Source: AMNA