BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 16
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Bulgaria is trying to make full use of the gas supply agreement with Azerbaijan, said the country’s Minister of Energy Alexander Nikolov, Trend reports.
He pointed out that the total amount of 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas to be supplied from Azerbaijan to Bulgaria via the gas interconnector with Greece (IGB) will provide about 30 percent of domestic consumption in the country.
“After a long delay, the government is making extraordinary efforts to complete the construction of Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria interconnection,” said Nikolov, expressing confidence that this infrastructure will be actively used in the next heating season.
He went on to add that Bulgaria aims to reduce its energy dependence on a single source.
"We have an opportunity to use various alternative supply routes and ensure connectivity with all neighboring countries,” said the minister.
The IGB project is of key importance for increasing security of supply and for ensuring diversification of natural gas sources for Bulgaria and the region of Southeast Europe. At the regional level, IGB will provide access to the gas transmission network for Bulgarian municipalities and regions that didn’t have an option for connectivity. The interconnector with Greece is an entirely new route for the transmission of natural gas to Europe and will give Bulgaria and the region access to supplies from new sources. The project will connect the country with the Southern Gas Corridor and has excellent synergy with other major energy projects such as TAP, TANAP, EastMed and the LNG terminal at Alexandroupolis.
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