19/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs welcomed the signature of an agreement between Russia, Greece and Bulgaria on the construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline. The new infrastructure will link the Bulgarian Black Sea port of Burgas with the Greek Mediterranean port of Alexandroupolis, reducing the increasing pressure of maritime oil transport through the Bosphorus and the Dardanel straights. The Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline is seen by the Commission as a project of pan-European interest in the INOGATE program which identifies strategic routes for hydrocarbons. It will be 280 km long with annual capacity of initially 35 million tonnes of crude oil, rising to 50 million tonnes. It will open in 2009-2010. (ol)