Transgaz and its counterparts in Bulgaria, Greece and Moldova have launched a special product with a reduced transit tariff to help Ukraine bring its gas to the Trans-Balkan corridor.

The gas system operators (TSOs) of Bulgaria, Greece, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine are jointly proposing a monthly route product for bundled firm capacity for the period June-October 2025, which will facilitate the transport of gas from Greece to Ukraine, according to a press release from Transgaz.

The bundled capacity product for the transport of natural gas from Greece to Ukraine will be offered on the strategically positioned Trans-Balkan route through the following interconnection points: Kulata/Sidirokastron, Negru Vodă 1/Kardam, Isaccea 1/Orlovka, Kaushany and Grebenyky.

The monthly capacity product for June 2025, amounting to 31,356,129 kWh/day, will be offered on the regional booking platform (RBP) on 29 May 2025.

Given the limited time until the auction, in case a significant amount of the offered capacity remains unreserved, the TSOs shall consider organizing another auction for the rest of the month, at a date to be jointly announced.

Subsequently, on the fourth Monday of each month, capacity product auctions for the following calendar month are planned. The uniform price auction mechanism will be implemented for capacity allocation, according to the release.

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“By October 2025, Ukraine needs to inject approximately 5 billion cubic meters of natural gas into its underground storage facilities to prepare for the winter season and to guarantee the security of vulnerable consumers. This joint solidarity action of the TSOs aims to meet the urgent needs of Ukraine, given the critical position in which the country has been placed. This will facilitate Ukraine’s procurement of part of the required quantities from diverse sources, including LNG from the US and other reliable sources via the Trans-Balkan route, allowing for diversification and increasing security of supply,” the statement said.

In order to ensure that the offered product will be used correctly and only for the purpose of deliveries to Ukraine, the tender participants will not be allowed access to the national virtual trading points (“PVT”) and national exit points of the countries located on the route, except for Ukraine. Taking into account these restrictions, the route product will be offered at a reserve price equal to the sum of the reserve prices applicable to the monthly capacity at the import points for the given month, reduced by 25% (46% for GTSOU).

This will not only increase the attractiveness of the route, but will also help minimize the negative effects of financial barriers and challenges facing Ukraine, the statement added.

The operators’ vision involves the principles of transparency and fairness, contributing to Ukraine’s energy security and independence, in line with European policies on competition, sustainability and solidarity.

“The route product is expected to lead to an increase in the utilization rate of the TSO infrastructure located in Peruta. This, in turn, would lead to increased revenues for operators that will be generated from the sale of hitherto unused capacity and, thus, to a reduction in transmission tariffs for the benefit of users of the gas transmission systems in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine,” the statement added.