Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb.12
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Bulgaria is interested in the implementation of strategic energy and transport infrastructure projects linking the EU and Azerbaijan such as the Southern Gas Corridor, Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borissov said in an interview with Trend.
“We highly appreciate the role of Azerbaijan for the energy security and natural gas supply diversification of Bulgaria and Europe,” he said.
The prime minister pointed out that Azerbaijan is not only a major gas source, but also holds a key role in the realization of the Southern Gas Corridor which will guarantee Europe’s energy security.
He went on to add that Bulgaria and Azerbaijan enjoy very good partnership in the energy field.
An expression of this partnership is the contract concluded between Bulgargaz and Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR for the supply of natural gas to Bulgaria starting from 2020, said Borissov.
“We expect the construction of the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) to start in June 2018, and the extension to Turkey to be ready by July. Thus, the delivery of the contracted 1 billion billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from the Shah Deniz Stage 2 to Bulgaria will be guaranteed,” he added.
The Southern Gas Corridor, worth $41.5 billion, is one of the priority energy projects for the EU. It envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey.
At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage.
As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans Adriatic Pipeline.
IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets.
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