BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 21. The US and Azerbaijan will secure the supply of almost 100 percent of Bulgaria's gas needs in 2024, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during his meeting with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, Trend reports via the State Department.
According to Blinken, the newly constructed Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) is allowing Bulgaria to diversify its supplies and shift from Russian gas.
"In the next year, Bulgaria will import nearly 100 percent of its domestic gas needs from Azerbaijan and the United States as a result of this Interconnector," he said.
IGB became operational on October 1, 2022. Since the beginning of the current heating season, the IGB provides nearly 1/3 of the winter consumption of natural gas in Bulgaria. IGB is the first route for diversified supplies of natural gas to Bulgaria, guaranteeing increased security of supply and diversity of sources, contributing significantly to the competition in the natural gas market, which is a prerequisite for optimized prices for businesses and domestic consumers in the country.