BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 18. Gas interconnector with Greece (IGB) will half Bulgaria’s dependence on Russian supplies, the country’s Minister of Environment Borislav Sandov said at the EU Environment Council Meeting in Brussels, Trend reports.
He believes that an alternative to Russian oil can be found much earlier.
“Bulgaria will reduce its dependence on Russian natural gas by 50 percent when the gas interconnector with Greece is completed", Sandov added.
The minister further noted that Bulgaria has nuclear fuel for another 12 to 18 months.
“Later, we can import nuclear fuel from the US", he said.
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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