The importance of the second electricity interconnection between Greece and Bulgaria for the strengthening of the electricity network and the electricity market in the region of South-Eastern Europe was highlighted during the special event for the official opening of the project, held within the framework of the Ministerial Conference of CESEC (Central and South Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity), which was held today in Athens.

Greetings were addressed by the Minister of Environment and Energy of Greece, Thodoros Skylakakis, the Minister of Energy of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, the Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, the president and CEO of ADMIE, Manos Manousakis and the CEO of the Transmission System Operator of Bulgaria, Angelin Tsatchev.

The event was also honored with their presence by the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy of Greece, Alexandra Sdoukou, the Deputy Minister of Energy of Bulgaria, Iva Petrova and the head of the Directorate General for Energy of the European Commission Ditte, Juul Jorgensen.

The second 400 kV Ultra High Voltage Transmission Line (Nea Santa-Maritsa East) connecting the two countries was put into operation in the summer, significantly increasing the margin of energy exchanges between the neighboring systems of Greece and Bulgaria and upgrading the possibilities of cross-border trade and energy security in SE Europe and the Balkan Peninsula.

The Minister of Environment and Energy Theodoros Skylakakis stated: “Because of the climate crisis, the green transition cannot and will not be stopped under any circumstances. With the second Greece-Bulgaria interconnection, the maximum nominal margin of energy exchanges between the two countries now amounts to 1.7 GW. This is the largest interconnection with any other neighboring country and demonstrates the importance of this new infrastructure, one of the most beneficial that the two countries share. The value of the new interface is very high. I am especially happy to have had this extremely close cooperation with friends and partners from Bulgaria. We will move as quickly as possible in every aspect and work together in the coming years to create economic and environmental and social benefits through our initiatives in the energy field. In the future, we envisage a new direct current interconnection between Greece and Bulgaria, with a capacity of 2 GW, with which even greater amounts of green energy will be transferred from Greece, but also electricity from the Bulgarian side.”

Bulgaria’s Energy Minister Rumen Radev said: “Today is a very important moment. The largest interconnection between Greece and Bulgaria, the second ultra-high voltage line, is now a reality. We will continue to work together in order to connect as much as possible, with a common vision of strengthening energy security, clean electricity and supporting the decarbonization goals, not only of our countries but also of the wider region. Congratulations to the Administrators of both countries for their excellent cooperation and timely completion of the project.”

European Union Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson emphasized: “The completion of the Greece-Bulgaria electricity interconnection is an important milestone for the diversification of energy sources, the deepening of the EU electricity market and the decarbonisation of Greece and Bulgaria. Given the potential of Greece to become an important source of “green” energy and having the certainty that this interconnection will bring long-term benefits to the entire region, as it is a remarkable achievement of the regional cooperation of the CESEC countries and another success story for the EU infrastructure policy. The investment benefited from financial support of almost €29 million from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility. I would like to congratulate the Transmission System Operators, Regulatory Authorities and governments of Greece and Bulgaria for their effective cooperation.”

The president and CEO of ADMIE Manos Manousakis said: “Today we are launching an important Project of Common Interest that was implemented with funding from the European Commission. With the new Greece-Bulgaria electrical interconnection, we have now expanded by 500 MW the margin for energy exchanges between the two countries. For Greece this means that we will import cheap energy and in the medium term we will export even more green energy as domestic RES penetration increases. Since our markets are coupled, this will be mutually beneficial to promote clean energy in the region. With the ESO EAD Operator we have developed close synergies, which extend beyond the field of Energy and into Telecommunications. In the midst of energy transition, the cooperation between Managers needs to be intensified. That is why we are particularly pleased that our cooperation with the Bulgarian Administrator is exemplary of how we should move at the regional level.”

ESO EAD President and CEO Angelin Tsachev said: “Following the successful operation of the Maritsa East – New Santa line, we have two cross-border electricity transmission lines in operation, improving connectivity and increasing our transport capacity. The expanded capabilities of ESO’s and ADMIE’s electricity transmission infrastructures differentiate our operation. They enable us to also offer telecommunication services to our customers. The second interconnection between Greece and Bulgaria is a project of pan-European interest that was included from the beginning of its planning in the Ten-Year Development Program (TYNDP) of ENTSO-E, as well as in the list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) of the European Union, drawing funding from the mechanism “Connecting Europe Facility”.