Iran Energy News Oil, Gas, Petrochemical and Energy Field Specialized Channel
Related Articles
Bulgaria will not renew a natural gas supply contract with Russia’s Gazprom PJSC amid the war in Ukraine, and will look at alternative supplies and a future joint European Union contract to avoid a shortfall, Deputy Prime Minister Assen Vassilev said Saturday.
The Balkan country gets almost all of its gas through a 10-year contract with Gazprom that expires at end-2022. For years, it has delayed projects to diversify its sources, including a pipeline link with neighboring Greece and an expansion of the country’s single gas storage facility. The government is looking to speed up both projects amid fears that the war in Ukraine may cause disruption.
“In this situation, there’s no way there are talks with Gazprom,” Vassilev told the BNR public radio. “We have held talks with both Greece and Turkey” to use existing infrastructure for LNG supplies and increase the deliveries from Azerbaijan, with which the country has a contract, Vassilev said.
The government is hoping to have a joint EU mechanism on supplies working by end-summer, which will allow the bloc to negotiate at better prices, he said.
The war has already forced the EU to redefine its energy policy and seek a faster reduction of its dependence on Russia, its biggest energy supplier. The European Commission last week outlined a plan to replace nearly two-thirds of Russian gas imports this year and is looking to phase out dependence on all fossil fuels from Moscow by 2027.
