Greece's Desfa to front-load gas grid expansion plans

Market: Natural gas
10/09/24

Greek transmission system operator Desfa plans to complete nearly all the gas projects in its updated 10-year development plan (TYDP) within the next three years.

Desfa's projected spend on all projects comes to over €1.37bn, of which €1.34bn would be used within the next three years. The most important of these projects are presented below, split by category.

Interconnectors

Desfa expects the 1.5bn m³/yr Greece-North Macedonia interconnector to start commercial operations in January 2026, a delay of roughly a year from the timeline it gave in October 2023.

The pipeline will run from Nea Messimvria — where Azeri gas enters the Greek grid — to Gevgelija and will cost around €92mn.

LNG terminals

The connection of the Dioriga LNG terminal will start commercial operations in December 2026, according to the latest TYDP, 1½ years later than previously envisaged.

Desfa expects to reach a final investment decision (FID) on a metering and regulating station to connect the planned Dioriga LNG terminal in February 2025.

Developer Motor Oil Hellas recently told Argus it plans to make FID on the project by the end of this year. The project will cost Desfa around €21mn and will be financed through connection fees. The new entry point will have a capacity of around 11.8mn m³/d, or 4.3bn m³/yr.

Desfa expects a new small-scale jetty already under construction at Revithoussa to start commercial operations in December 2025. The €38mn project will enable ships with capacities of 1,000-30,000m³ of LNG to unload and reload.

And Desfa has also taken FID on a compressor station for Revithoussa, which will allow for boil-off gas to be sent into the transmission system rather than flared. Commercial operations are envisioned to start in May 2025.

No mention of grid connections for the Argo floating storage and regasification unit or Thessaloniki LNG projects were included in the TYDP, throwing their future into further doubt following recent delays.

Power plants

Desfa included multiple pipeline connections to gas-fired power plants in the TYDP.

The operator expects the 877MW Thermoilektriki Komotinis plant's connection to the grid to start commercial operations in October. It will have a capacity of around 3.4mn m³/d, or 1.24bn m³/yr. The project's operators expect test operations to begin this autumn.

Another project will connect Elpedison's planned 826MW plant near Thessaloniki, with a capacity of around 1.14bn m³/yr. Desfa envisions commercial operations beginning in November 2025.

A third project would connect to an 840MW plant at Alexandroupolis and start commercial operations in May 2027. Lastly, Desfa expects a project connecting the 873MW Larisa Thermoelectriki plant to start commercial operations in mid-2027. Pipeline capacities for these two projects were not disclosed, but would likely be similar to the first two.

Compressor stations

Several compressor station plans have been delayed, notably at Komotini and Ampelia.

The two expansion phases at Komotini have been pushed back by six months to March and June 2025, respectively, because of delays during the permitting process. The project will increase the system's "technical adequacy", as well as its capacity, according to Desfa.

And Desfa expects the compressor station at Ampelia, a crucial part of enabling higher north to south transmission, to start commercial operations only in June 2025. The nine-month delay is because of "extreme weather events" in the area in 2023.

And a booster compressor for the Trans-Adriatic pipeline at Nea Messimvria — which will enable fully bidirectional flows — is scheduled to start commercial operations in December 2025. Permitting delays have pushed back the start date by more than a year.

Domestic grid

Several large projects are also in the works to expand the domestic grid.

Desfa plans a 145km pipeline to connect the city of Patras and its industrial area to the grid, expecting FID in June 2025 and the start of commercial operations in March 2027. The pipeline will have a capacity of around 240mn m³/yr, but with the possibility to be doubled if demand is sufficient.

Desfa is also planning a 157km pipeline to connect west Macedonia and a metering station at Kardia-Kozani, with a planned capacity of around 440mn m³/yr. This project will help to enable gas supply to district heating installations in the area, Desfa said. Desfa has taken FID and expects commercial operations to start in June 2025.

And Desfa's most expensive plan, at €311mn, will duplicate the 215km main transmission line from Karperi to Komotini. This will increase capacity from north to south and aims to eliminate bottlenecks for the provision of firm capacity from new entry and exit points in the northern part of the system, as well as the provision of firm access to the VTP. This will increase liquidity and provide "equitable access to all northern exit points, and is a "priority project" for Desfa. FID is planned for June 2025, and commercial start-up in March 2027.

A related €151mn plan will duplicate the 100km Patima-Livadeia line, which will increase pressure in the system and enable firm capacity from the Dioriga Gas terminal. FID is planned for October 2025, and commercial operations in March 2027.

By Brendan A'Hearn

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