Bulgaria will have access to liquefied natural gas unloaded in Turkey
Bulgaria will sign a long-term agreement with Turkey for access to liquefied natural gas terminals in Turkey and the transit of gas to the Bulgarian border, the Government in Sofia announced, reports Reuters.
Russia, which covered more than 95% of Bulgaria's gas needs, stopped deliveries to Sofia in April because payments in rubles were not made. Now, Bulgaria is looking for new sources of gas supply. Last month, Bulgaria's interim energy minister, Rossen Hristov, said talks between Bulgargaz and Turkish firm Botas were progressing quickly and he hoped a deal would be reached soon.
Currently, Bulgaria imports one billion cubic metres of natural gas per year from Azerbaijan, and the rest of the requirement, approximately three billion cubic metres of natural gas per year, is covered by imports of liquefied natural gas from Greece. According to the Energy Ministry's plans, Bulgaria will cover a third of its gas needs through imports of liquefied natural gas through Turkey, a third through the LNG terminal near the Greek city of Alexandroupolis, which would become operational in 2024, and a third through deliveries from Azerbaijan.
