DESFA and North Macedonia's state-owned natural gas transmission company Nomagas signed a contract on Wednesday, September 27th, for the supervision of the construction of the North Macedonia part of the Gas Interconnector Greece-North Macedonia (IGNM), following the government agreement for the construction of the project signed in March 2021.

More specifically, the contract concerns the supervision of the construction of a 68 km gas pipeline in North Macedonia, which will be part of the 123 km gas interconnector between North Macedonia and Greece, expected to be ready by the end of 2024. DESFA was awarded the contract following an open procedure with the participation of four companies that was launched by Nomagas and supervised by EIB, which is going to finance the project, with a €2.475 million euro grant through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF).

The pipeline will extend from Nea Mesimvria to Negotino via Evzoni/Gevgelija, connecting the national natural gas transmission systems of Greece and North Macedonia, operated by DESFA and Nomagas respectively. Its initial capacity will be 1.5 billion cubic meters per year, with the possibility of expanding to 3 billion cubic meters per year, while studies have been carried out for the pipeline to adopt the appropriate requirements for the transport of green hydrogen.

This investment, identified as a Project of Mutual Interest by the Energy Community, will significantly strengthen the security of gas supply for North Macedonia, through the further diversification of the country’s gas supply sources and the creation of additional access routes, paving the way for further integration of the national gas market and infrastructure within both the Western Balkans region and the EU. At the same time, it will further strengthen the role of Greece as an energy gateway for Southeast Europe, with the transmission of natural gas from the Natural Gas Transmission System of Greece to North Macedonia and beyond.

About DESFA

The National Natural Gas System Operator (DESFA) S.A. is responsible for the operation, management, exploitation and development of the National Natural Gas System and its interconnections, in a technically sound and economically efficient way, in order to best serve its Users with safety, reliability and adequacy.

Contributing decisively to the security of supply and the diversification of supply sources of the wider region, DESFA also facilitates the development of competition in the Greek energy market, while systematically striving for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Possessing extensive experience and having a highly skilled staff, DESFA is a reliable partner in the framework of the ongoing international energy projects in Southeastern Europe.