EU, operators agree tariffs to make gas corridor more competitive

EU and Operators Agree on Tariffs to Boost Gas Corridor Competitiveness

Agreement on Tariffs and Development of the Vertical Gas Corridor

Background and Objectives

ATHENS, March 27 (Reuters) - Bulgarian, Greek, Romanian, Moldovan and Ukrainian natural gas grid operators agreed with the European Commission on Friday to tariffs along the corridor carrying gas from Greece to Ukraine, in an effort to make it more competitive and diversify supplies.

Greek gas grid operator DESFA said in a statement that the operators and the EU executive had agreed on tariffs that will be implemented as of October and are aligned with EU rules.

Development of the Vertical Gas Corridor

Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary agreed in 2016 to develop the necessary infrastructure for the realisation of the so-called Vertical Gas Corridor which would allow the bidirectional transmission of gas between the countries.

Ukraine and Moldova joined in 2024.

Strategic Importance and New Tariffs

"The agreed trade approach introduces new tariffs that make the Vertical Corridor a highly competitive and strategic energy artery for Southeastern and Central Europe at a particularly critical time for the continent's energy security," it said.

Capacity Products and Transitional Arrangements

The five natural gas operators will, for the first time, offer daily, monthly, quarterly and annual capacity products starting with the 2026–2027 gas year (October 2026), DESFA said.

"For the transitional period until the full implementation of the new products, the operators shall submit a request to the relevant national regulatory authorities to extend the availability of existing products until October 2026 in order to support Ukraine's security of supply during the transition period," the statement said.

Reporting Credits

(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou and Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Alexander Smith)