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The Bulgarian government has decided to accept only one of the agreed seven liquefied gas supplies from the US company Cheniere, despite the price being almost €30 lower than that offered on European gas exchanges.
Currently, the caretaker government appointed by President Rumen Radev is in power. His political opponents have accused the president of attempting to resume Gazprom supplies.
Bulgaria and Poland were the first two European countries to which Gazprom stopped supplying gas for refusing to pay for the fuel with roubles. Authorities in Sofia provide about 1/3 of the required gas with a long-term contract with Azerbaijan, but other supplies rely on short-term contracts.
In June, in its last days in power, the government of Kiril Petkov negotiated the supply of seven cargo ships of liquefied gas from the United States with the assistance of the European Commission.
The US gas supplies would have filled about half of the missing quantities for Bulgaria. But Petkov’s government was ousted by a no-confidence vote, and early parliamentary elections are scheduled for 2 October.
Caretaker Energy Minister Rosen Hristov explained on Friday that the liquefied gas offer had been denied because it is costly to reserve LNG slots in Turkey and Greece. Hristov said that Bulgaria could find gas, but high prices were the problem.
“The quantities do not bother us as much as the trend of raising market prices,” the minister said.
The purpose of the Bulgarian government is to provide a systemic supply of gas by pipelines, he added. Next week, negotiations with three Turkish companies will aim to achieve fixed offers for delivery for six to 12 months, with a priority to guarantee the quantities by the end of winter.
Also, there will be talks to increase the Azeri supplies next week, but the price will differ from that of the current contract. Hristov said that the Azeri ambassador to Sofia assured them that there were reserves for additional deliveries.
The Pro-European Formation Democratic Bulgaria explained that the government was trying to bring Bulgarian energy to a situation where Gazprom remains an alternative.
