Greece-North Macedonia gas link delayed by 22 months

: Natural gas
24/10/18

The commissioning of the 1.5bn m³/yr gas interconnector between Greece and North Macedonia appears to have been delayed by roughly 22 months, judging by timelines laid out in recent construction tenders issued by developers Desfa and Nomagas.

In Desfa's recent draft 10-year development plan, it expected commissioning of the interconnector in December 2025, with the line then starting full commercial operations in January 2026.

But an €84mn tender issued by transmission system operator Nomagas on 16 October, seeking construction of the 67km pipeline on the Macedonian side of the border from Evzoni and Negotino to Gevgelija, envisions works taking 34 months. The deadline for the submission of bids is 20 November, suggesting the tender may not be awarded until December — and 34 months from December would mean construction on the Macedonian side would not finish until October 2027. This would be a delay of roughly 22 months from Desfa's target to start commercial operations on the line in January 2026.

The tender also lists the pipeline's capacity at 1.8bn m³/yr, slightly higher than the 1.5bn m³/yr previously planned.

And Desfa on 17 October opened a €16mn tender seeking planning, supply and construction of a metring station for the interconnector, also closing on 22 November, which envisages the work taking 15 months. If the works took 15 months from December, they would be completed in March 2026. Construction on the line has already started on the Greek side.

Desfa and Nomagas were not immediately available to clarify the new expected timeline for the project.

By Brendan A'Hearn

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