Greece's Vertical Gas Corridor saw a near-total booking of its primary northbound route to Ukraine on Monday, signaling a surge in demand for alternative energy infrastructure as global officials gather in Washington for a critical gas security summit. In a highly anticipated auction, energy traders snapped up 98% of the available capacity—25 out of 25.5 gigawatt-hours per day—on Route 1, which runs from Greece's Revithoussa LNG terminal to Ukraine's vast underground storage facilities. The winning bidder, Atlantic SEE LNG Trade—a joint venture between AKTOR Group and DEPA Commercial—secured the capacity to fulfill a landmark late-January agreement. The deal will see the consortium ship U.S. liquefied natural gas, supplied by BP, directly to Ukraine's state-owned Naftogaz. While Route 1 experienced its highest uptake since auctions began last May, secondary routes utilizing the Alexandroupolis and Komotini terminals received no bids during Monday's session. The successful booking provides a major operational boost for the Vertical Corridor project just hours before Tuesday's Transatlantic Gas Security Summit. The Washington event, hosted by U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, gathers ministers from Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. Mr. Wright and Mr. Burgum are expected to lead pivotal discussions alongside EU representatives on securing infrastructure funding ahead of the European Union's looming 2027 ban on Russian gas imports. For Athens, the robust auction results cement its ambition to serve as Europe's new energy spine, positioning Greece as an indispensable distribution hub for diversified, reliable energy supplies. By Lalella Chrysanthopoulou Διαβάστε περισσότερα στο iefimerida.gr