A consortium of Southern European gas transmission network operators is seeking regulatory approval for two new pipeline routes to supply gas to Ukraine during the peak winter demand season of December 2026 to April 2026. The initiative, driven by the privately owned Interconnector Greece–Bulgaria (ICGB) and the national transmission operators of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova, is a response to the severe damage inflicted on Ukraine's domestic gas production infrastructure, with Russian missile and drone strikes reportedly destroying 50% to 60% of its capacity. This situation necessitates securing alternative import routes beyond Ukraine's current connections from Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland.

Proposed Supply Routes

The first proposed route is designed to enable Ukraine to purchase liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the spot market. This LNG would be imported via the Alexandroupolis LNG terminal in Greece. The second route would provide Ukraine with access to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, which is part of the Southern Gas Corridor network that transports gas from Azerbaijan to Europe. Both of these new routes would utilize sections of the existing Transbalkan Pipeline, which passes near the Black Sea coasts of Romania and Bulgaria and connects to Ukraine.

Implementation and Commercial Structure

A key feature of the proposal is that both routes will use existing available capacity at interconnection points across the four countries' networks, meaning no system upgrades are required. When combined with other participating networks along the Trans-Balkan corridor, these routes will form a single, seamless commercial link. To facilitate this, all participating transmission operators have agreed to offer exclusive tariff discounts specifically designed to make gas deliveries to Ukraine more competitive, affordable, and efficient. For instance, ICGB has committed to discounting its standard tariff by 46% for all gas shipments destined for Ukraine.

Regulatory Process and Regional Solidarity

The new cross-border pricing and allocation mechanisms introduced by these routes require approval from national regulators to ensure transparency, fair market access, and compliance with market rules. The agreements to establish these two additional routes were formally signed by the transmission operators on November 7 in Athens. ICGB executive officers stated that the signing demonstrates the region's gas operators' shared determination to act in solidarity to ensure energy continues to flow safely and affordably across borders. ICGB, which operates a 182-kilometre connector between Greece and Bulgaria with an annual capacity of 3 billion cubic metres, began operations in October 2022. In a related development earlier in November, Ukrainian gas company Naftogaz signed a preliminary agreement to continue importing LNG via Poland in 2026.

This material is an AI-assisted summary based on publicly available sources and may contain inaccuracies. For the original and full details, please refer to the source link. Based on materials by Vladimir Afanasiev. All rights to the original text and images remain with their respective rights holders.