Natural gas for Ukraine to flow through Greece

FYI
In a regional auction, DEPA (Greece) and two other companies secured contracts to supply gas to Ukraine.

The flow of natural gas in Southeastern Europe is about to reverse direction: LNG imported through Greece will now be transported northward—via Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova—to reach Ukraine and help meet its winter energy demand.

This development follows the EU’s broader strategy of ending reliance on Russian gas and shifting toward U.S.-sourced LNG. The imported LNG arrives at Greece’s terminals in Alexandroupoli and Revithoussa, where it is converted back into gas and pushed into the regional transmission system toward the north.

Specifically, during the recent auction for gas transport along the Trans-Balkan corridor—from Greece to Ukraine—a total capacity of 6.32 GWh per day was allocated for November among three market participants.

The auction was jointly organized by the transmission system operators (TSOs) of Greece (DESFA), Bulgaria (Bulgartransgaz), Romania (Transgaz), Moldova (VestMoldTransgaz), and Ukraine (GTSOU).

One key factor behind the successful outcome of the auction was the growing estimate of Ukraine’s gas needs. Due to repeated Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure, the country’s demand for natural gas this winter is expected to rise by 10% compared to its initial projections.

According to reports, Greece’s DEPA Commercial, Ukraine’s largest private energy company DTEK, and Switzerland’s Axpo Trading were the three firms that secured around 30% of the available capacity during the October auction.

Sources: Καθημερινή, Πρώτο Θέμα, News247