Gas supplier Bulgargaz confirmed that several investigation are currently being carried out by the State Agency for National Security (SANS) and the Bulgarian police.
The statement from the company said that it will provide full assistance to the representatives of the inspection institutions and accepts the inspections as a good opportunity to establish the truth on a number of issues related to prices and supply of natural gas. The results of the inspection are expected to be announced after its completion.
Last week, during a meeting of Parliamentary Committees on energy and finance, Minister of Finance Asen Vassilev said that an investigation was under way into why Bulgargaz draws gas from Chiren underground storage at lower prices and sells it abroad instead of selling it at low prices to companies in Bulgaria and to district heating provider Toplofikatsya Sofia. Minister of Energy Aleksandar Nikolov clarified that the inspection was for gas exports from Chiren to Romania.
However, CEO of Bulgargaz Nikolay Pavlov rejected the accusations, adding that the price is the same for all consumers in Bulgaria, adding
that only surplus gas imported from Russian Gazprom is sold on the exchanges in order to make additional profit.
