Bulgarian Minister of Energy Alexander Nikolov said that Bulgaria will not be able to get the entire agreed amount of Azerbaijani gas this year at a preferential price.
The reason is delayed launch of Greece-Bulgaria gas interconnection (IGB pipeline), which should be commissioned by the end of June. Minister Nikolov said that there is a strong possibility that the volume for the second half of 2022 will be received in full.
It was the un-negotiated quantities with Azerbaijan that were the basis of the new cabinet’s motives to urgently change the management of Bulgargaz, CEO Nikolay Pavlov. The former management pointed out on several occasion that the only reason for that is the IGB pipeline.
He also said that later this week, he will visit Azerbaijan and meet with all representatives related to the Southern Gas Corridor, as well as additional meetings with all possible partners, including neighboring Energy Ministers, who are also interested in supplies through Bulgaria’s routes. The fact is that Bulgaria has a good longterm contract. How this will affect future supplies remains to be seen.
