Bulgaria Energy Vertical Gas Corridor Growth Opportunities

Vertical Gas Corridor in Central and Eastern Europe is creating significant opportunities for U.S. natural gas industry. The Vertical Gas Corridor is a strategic energy infrastructure initiative designed to enhance energy security and diversify natural gas supply routes in Central and Southeastern Europe. 

The corridor aims to connect national gas networks along a north-south axis from the Baltic Sea to the Aegean Sea, encompassing networks in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. The project, which aims to reduce dependence on Russian supplies, involves Transmission System Operators (TSOs) from seven countries: Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, and Ukraine. Using existing infrastructure from Greece to Ukraine, the Vertical Gas Corridor will allow LNG imported through Greece to fill the vast storage tanks in Ukraine, providing a new source of gas for Central Europe and the Western Balkans, and helping to reduce price volatility along the way. 

Southeastern European countries are collaborating to ensure physical and contractual reversibility of existing interconnection pipelines, including the Trans-Balkan transit pipeline, which Gazprom no longer uses. The pipeline should be able to transport expected surplus gas volumes of around 10 bcm in the next five years to Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia and Ukraine via the Vertical Gas Corridor, which require expansion on the Greece-Bulgaria section and on the Bulgaria-Romania border.

Once Alexandroupolis FSRU in Greece is back online after repairs (expected in August 2025), the capacity will increase to 7 mcm/d (approx. two LNG cargos/month). Importantly, this route will be dedicated to LNG only, with no access for gas molecules from Bulgaria, Turkey, etc. This transmission product will be offered for the period June to October 2025.

U.S. LNG is poised to play a crucial role in boosting energy connectivity in the region, particularly at the newly operational Alexandroupolis LNG terminal in Greece, which serves as a key entry point for the corridor. 
 
If successful, the Vertical Gas Corridor will help American gas companies increase sales to Europe by an estimated $1.9 billion annually while working to establish the U.S. as a guarantor of Europe’s energy security for its allies along NATO’s eastern flank.  
To learn more about this project or other opportunities regarding the Vertical Gas Corridor, please contact Commercial Specialist Emily Taneva, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Embassy Sofia: emily.taneva@trade.gov