A long-disused oil pipeline linking Thessaloniki with Skopje is being reactivated after 13 years. Following extensive maintenance and upgrades, the 213.5-kilometer pipeline will be capable of transporting 2.5 million tons of crude oil, diesel, and kerosene annually.
The pipeline is owned by Vardax, a company held 80% by Greece’s HELLENiQ Energy and 20% by the North Macedonian government. The infrastructure was originally built in 2002 to supply the OKTA refinery in Skopje. However, in 2013, the refinery was deemed commercially non-viable, and the pipeline–70 kilometers of which run through northern Greece–ceased operations.
