July 2019, Vol. 246, No. 7
Projects
Bulgaria Builds Gas Link to End Full Reliance on Russian Gas
Bulgaria started building a $268 million (240 million euro) gas pipeline with Greece that will end the Balkan country’s total dependence on Russian gas and help diversify supplies in southeastern Europe.
Sofia, which currently meets all of its gas needs from Russia via one route, pledged to start building gas links with its neighbors and diversify its suppliers in 2009, when a price dispute between Moscow and Kiev left hundreds of Bulgarians without heating in the middle of winter.
After years of delays, a 113-mile (182-km) interconnector link between Bulgaria and Greece with an initial annual capacity of 105-175 Bcf is now expected to ready by the end of 2020 and transport, mainly Azeri gas to Bulgaria.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said the symbolic start of the construction works near the village of Kirkovo, about 15 km north of the border with Greece.
“The project is of strategic importance not only for our two countries, but for the whole of Europe, including the countries in the Western Balkans,” Borissov said, according to Reuters. “It will lead to real diversification of gas supplies.”
Earlier this month the project company for the pipeline, ICGB, picked Greek gas contractor J&P AVAX to build the link between the southern Bulgarian city of Stara Zagora to the Greek city of Komotini in northeast Greece.
ICGB is 50% owned by Bulgaria’s state-held BEH energy holding company. The remaining shares are held by Greece’s DEPA and Italy’s Edison. P&GJ
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