New gas import routes to Ukraine launched – Route 2 and Route 3

Ukraine, together with neighboring countries, has launched two new joint cross-border routes for natural gas imports to Ukraine – Route 2 and Route 3 – within the Vertical Corridor initiative, ExPro reports.

The regulators of Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece approved the respective joint capacity booking products for natural gas imports.

The first auctions under the new routes were held on Monday, December 22, 2025, offering monthly capacities for gas imports from Greece to Ukraine for January 2026. However, companies did not book any capacities for natural gas imports at the auctions, which may be related to the short preparation time, as the products were approved only a few days earlier.

All operators agreed on a 25% discount to the standard monthly tariff, while ICGB and the GTS Operator of Ukraine provided a 46% discount, the highest in the region. The offer is available only as monthly products and will be implemented through a single auction with a fixed price. As with Route 1, nominations are possible only for exit to Ukraine, without access to internal points of other countries along the route.

Route 2

Route 2 is intended for importing LNG from the Alexandroupolis LNG terminal to Ukraine. The route starts at the Amfitriti point near the Alexandroupolis LNG terminal operated by DESFA in Greece, passes through the Greece–Bulgaria interconnector, and then continues through Romania and Moldova to Ukraine.

Route 2: Amfitriti (Greece) → Komotini (IGB) → Stara Zagora (Bulgaria) → Negru Voda 1 / Kardam (Romania) → Isaccea 1 / Orlovka (Ukraine) → Kaushany (Moldova) → Grebenyky (Ukraine).

A total of 4.89 mcm per day of capacity was offered for booking. At the same time, companies did not book capacities for imports in January.

Route 3

Route 3 is intended for importing Azerbaijani gas to Ukraine. The route starts at the IGB interconnection point with TAP and then follows the same route as Route 2 to Ukraine.

Route 3: Komotini (IGB entry from TAP) → Stara Zagora (Bulgaria) → Negru Voda 1 / Kardam (Romania) → Isaccea 1 / Orlovka (Ukraine) → Kaushany (Moldova) → Grebenyky (Ukraine).

A total of 4.89 mcm per day of capacity was offered for booking. At the same time, companies did not book capacities for imports in January.

Route 1

In addition, on December 22, an auction was held for capacity booking under the joint Route 1 product – from the Revithoussa LNG terminal in Greece to Ukraine, which has been operating since July 2025. Since the start of operations, more than 60 mcm of natural gas has already been imported via this route, according to ExPro data.

Almost 2.3 mcm per day of capacity was offered for booking for January. As a result of the auction, companies did not book capacities for gas imports via this route.

It is worth recalling that in December, companies doubled the booked capacities for gas imports via Route 1 to 1.2 mcm per day.

Where to find natural gas market analytics?

Detailed analytics of the natural gas market in Ukraine, including production, imports, exports, UGS reserves, trading results, natural gas prices, key news, etc., are published in specialized publications ExPro Daily Gas, ExPro Gas&Oil Weekly, and ExPro Gas&Oil Monthly.

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