Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb.22 / Trend S. Agayeva /
An agreement on supply of the compressed Azerbaijani gas though the Black Sea to Bulgaria will be signed this year, Bulgarian ambassador to Azerbaijan Vasil Kalinov said in an interview with Trend.
"I believe that a specific agreement will be signed this year, and practical steps will be defined to implement this project in the coming years," Kalinov said.
According to him, the supply of the Azerbaijani gas from the Georgian Kulevi port to the Bulgarian port of Varna will become a serious contribution to the system of energy resources diversification.
Kalinov said there is no problem with funding, as large financial institutions are willing to allocate funds for a very efficient and cost-effective project.
"It [the supply of compressed natural gas] is more effective than transportation of gas in liquefied form. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the leadership of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) made quite revolutionary and effective proposals to Bulgaria," he said.The diplomat said his country is not a major gas consumer.
"Bulgaria's gas need is 3-4 billion cubic meters a year and it's quite low figure. We are not a major gas consumer, but we believe that the economy cannot develop without this fuel, and we are doing everything possible so that Bulgaria can participate in all projects related to the diversification of energy routes," Kalinov said.
Regarding to the cooperation between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria, Kalinov said that the main direction of bilateral relations is cooperation on energy security.
At present, a working group including SOCAR and Bulgargas, is working on the preparation of a feasibility study on the supply of compressed Azerbaijani gas (CNG) to Bulgaria.
The joint working group was created based on a memorandum signed in November 2009 between SOCAR and Bulgartransgas.
An option to export compressed natural gas through the Black Sea coast of Georgia, where SOCAR's Kulevi oil terminal is located, is considered within opportunities of Azerbaijan's gas supply.