Companies have begun reserving capacity years in advance
According to DESFA, the Greek gas transmission system operator, the highest demand was recorded at the Sidirokastro interconnector on the border between Greece and Bulgaria, e-nergia.ro reports. For the 2026/2027–2029/2030 gas years, market participants have reserved 46% of the available export capacity, and 26% for the 2030/2031 gas year.
In total, 100 GWh per day of export capacity was offered at Sidirokastro.
Notably, some volumes were reserved even for the 2040/2041 gas year, indicating market participants’ long-term expectations regarding demand for the new route.
Among the largest participants in the auction, the joint venture Atlantic SEE LNG Trade—established by Aktor Group and DEPA Commercial—reserved approximately 13,000 MW/h per day, while Metlen reserved 20,000 MW/h per day.
The corridor is becoming part of the region’s new energy map
This week, gas transmission system operators from the participating countries of the Vertical Gas Corridor—Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Moldova—discussed the project’s further development. North Macedonia and Serbia have officially joined the initiative.
The expansion of the project marks the start of technical preparations for connecting new countries, which should strengthen the integration of the energy markets of the Balkans and Central Europe.
Greek Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou stated that the integration of energy markets could be one of the steps toward integrating the countries of the Western Balkans into the European energy system.
Europe is accelerating its shift away from Russian gas
The Vertical Gas Corridor is viewed as one of the key routes for diversifying natural gas supplies following the European Union’s decision to gradually phase out Russian energy resources.
The project calls for transporting gas from southern Europe—from liquefied natural gas terminals in Revithoussa and Alexandroupoli, as well as Azerbaijani gas—through Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania toward Hungary, Slovakia, and Ukraine. This is intended to replace part of the Russian gas that previously flowed into the region via the TurkStream pipeline.
According to DESFA CEO Maria Sferruzza, as Europe moves closer to a complete phase-out of Russian gas, the region’s energy system will need all available supply routes.
For Moldova, the development of the Vertical Gas Corridor is of strategic importance. The republic is already a participant in the initiative, and the expansion of transportation infrastructure increases opportunities to obtain gas from alternative sources via the Romanian and Greek gas transmission systems.
The high demand for capacity reservations indicates that the market views the new route as commercially attractive long before the infrastructure is fully deployed. For countries in the region, this means increased competition among suppliers, reduced dependence on a single import source, and greater resilience in gas supply.
