EU Energy Commissioner Welcomes Agreement on Burgas-Alexandroupolis Pipeline Construction

European energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs has welcomed the signature of an agreement between Russia, Greece and Bulgaria on the construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline.

This new infrastructure will link the Bulgarian Black Sea port of Burgas with the Greek Mediterranean port of Alexandroupolis. Construction of the pipeline is expected to reduce the increasing pressure of maritime oil transport through the Bosphorus and the Dardanel straights.

“In the oil sector, increasing international concern is being expressed over the threat of maritime accidents and the ensuing significant environmental damage caused by the resulting oil spills. Given the increasing density of maritime traffic in the enclosed Black Sea and additional quantities of oil exported from the region, it is of utmost importance to give a higher priority to the alternative of transporting oil by pipelines,” Commissioner Piebalgs said.

The Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline was considered by the European Commission as a project of pan-European interest in the Inogate program, which identifies strategic routes for hydrocarbons.

The pipeline will have a length of 280km and a yearly capacity of initially 35 million, and later 50 million, tons of crude oil after its opening in 2009/2010.