site.btaGreece-Bulgaria Interconnector Can Carry Hydrogen Blended with Natgas

The Greece-Bulgaria natural gas interconnector, which went into operation on October 1, can carry a blend of hydrogen and natural gas, Teodora Georgieva, Executive Director of interconnector operator ICGB, told the ICIS data analytics company on Thursday. "Depending on the amount of hydrogen that needs to be injected, it may be necessary to adjust the gas transmission infrastructure to a certain degree," Georgieva explained.

The capacity of the gas interconnector, which is 3 billion cubic metres annually, can be increased to 5 billion cu m, depending on market demand, according to ICGB.

The development of the hydrogen market in the EU was discussed during a meeting of EU energy ministers at the end of October. Bulgarian caretaker Energy Minister Rossen Hristov said that the hydrogen market is still young and the EU should provide the most flexible conditions for its development, taking account of the specific features and potential of each member state. "This is the only way to encourage a rapid development of production, consumption and trade", he stressed back then.

Bulgaria expects to receive EUR 35 million in funding under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan to build the capacity to produce 4,300 tonnes of hydrogen annually by 2030.