SOFIA: Greece's J&P AVAX filed the lowest offer in a tender to design and build a gas pipeline between Bulgaria and Greece, project manager ICGB said on Tuesday.

The company offered 144.85 million euros ($162.94 million) to build 182 km (113 mile) pipeline which Sofia hopes will become operational in 2020 to transport Azeri gas to Bulgaria and end its almost complete dependence on Russian gas supplies.

A consortium of two Bulgarian companies and Italy's Bonatti, which also submitted an offer in the tender, offered 229.3 million euros.