BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 6. A memorandum on assisting the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) in the gasification of Bulgarian regions will be signed during the visit of Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev to Baku on May 7-8, a source in the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy told Trend.
"Azerbaijan has been supplying gas to Bulgaria since 2021, accounting for more over one-third of the country's gas demand. Representatives from SOCAR, Bulgartransgaz, and the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy are actively discussing SOCAR's prospective involvement in Bulgaria's gasification. A matching memorandum will be signed in Baku during the visit of the Bulgarian president," the source noted.
According to the source, the Balkan Gas Hub has been actively operating since 2024, thanks to which Azerbaijani gas deliveries to Bulgaria for this gas hub amount to 50–60 million cubic meters per month.
Moreover, Bulgaria has been commercially purchasing Azerbaijani gas through the Greece-Bulgaria Interconnector (IGB), which connects to the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), since October 1, 2022. Bulgartansgaz in Baku signed a 25-year gas contract in 2013, which limits the annual volumes to one billion cubic meters.
Furthermore, SOCAR temporarily sold certain volumes of its (non-contracted) gas on the Bulgarian market last autumn at the Bulgarian side's request.
Huseyn Huseynov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Bulgaria, discussed issues related to increasing gas supplies and transit with Bulgaria's acting Minister of Energy Vladimir Malinov in late April 2024.
During this meeting, the parties also discussed the prospects for transporting green energy and hydrogen to Bulgaria, as well as the creation of infrastructure for charging electric vehicles with Azerbaijan's participation.
To note, since April 25, 2023, a commercial representation of SOCAR has been operating in Sofia, overseeing cooperation with Balkan countries.
Furthermore, in 2023, SOCAR Trading obtained a license to trade gas from various sources in Bulgaria.
Thus, energy cooperation between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan is acquiring a strategic character.