Expanding the capacity of the Trans-Balkan Pipeline
EnergyUkraine
Moldova
With a surplus of natural gas already expected in the region of southeastern Europe (about 6 billion m3 in 2024), which, according to experts, will increase every year (up to 8-10 billion m3 by the end of this decade), the issue of ensuring possible ways of transporting natural gas from the region to other European countries is becoming increasingly important.
GTS Operator of Ukraine LLC is actively working to create new and develop existing natural gas transportation routes to Ukraine to diversify import flows and strengthen Ukraine's as well as region’s energy security.
Given the increase in gas flows from Moldova to Ukraine (0,5 bln m3 in 2023), it is important to ensure the conditions and ability to transport gas through the gas transportation system of Ukraine and Moldova with maximum use of the existing infrastructure of the Trans-Balkan route.
- 2024Design
Ensuring a constant physical flow of gas from Moldova to Ukraine can allow transporting and injecting an additional 6 million m3 per day (11 million m3 in total: 5 million m3/day through virtual reverse flow + 6 million m3/day of constant physical flow) into the Ukrainian UGS from the Trans-Balkan route during the new injection season. This option does not require any investment.
Steps to be taken to ensure maximum utilization of the Trans-Balkan route in 2024:
● Introduce commercially viable fares on the route
● Creation of a joint Ukrainian-Moldovan product to simplify the use of the route by customers
● Ensuring a constant physical flow of 6 million m3/day on a sustainable basis
- Long-term (2025-2028)Construction
To create guaranteed capacities and provide more flexible conditions for customers, it is necessary to carry out certain technical works in the system, which require investment and coordinated cooperation of all GTS operators along the route. To this end, GTSOU has joined the Vertical Corridor, a regional initiative of gas operators that manage the infrastructure connecting the systems of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Central Europe - Hungary and Slovakia.
For Ukraine, the goal of cooperation within the Vertical Corridor is to ensure that gas can be transported from the south (including from the Greek LNG terminal in Alexandroupolis, which is due to be commissioned in early March) through the gas transportation systems of Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova to Ukraine for storage in gas storage facilities and for further transportation to Central Europe.
To create a guaranteed capacity of up to 28 million m3/day (10 billion m3/year) for Moldova's input to Ukraine, Ukraine needs to reconstruct the Pivdenobuzka compressor station and install 4 gas pumping units of different capacities.
Some work is also needed to expand capacity along the route on the part of other GTS operators, including Bulgaria and Moldova. Subject to the availability of funding, the necessary work can be completed by the end of 2028.
Estimated cost: on the part of Ukraine - EUR 70 mln
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