A 13-year deal for the transit of 1.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year from Turkey to Bulgaria was signed by state gas company Bulgargaz and Turkish state energy company BOTAS on Tuesday.
The agreement was signed by their directors, Denitsa Zlateva and Burhan Yozcan, and covers half of the necessary amount of blue fuel for Bulgaria, which is currently transferred through Greece.
The Energy Ministers of both countries, Rosen Hristov and Fatih Dönmez were present at the ceremony. Analysts commented that the deal between Bulgaria and Turkey opens a new gas corridor from Turkey to the Balkan countries and the EU. “Bulgargaz” gets the right to buy liquefied gas, which will be unloaded at five Turkish LNG terminals, and then transited to Bulgaria via the Turkish gas network.
Separately, Bulgaria has a long-term contract to import 1 billion cubic metres of Azeri gas per year at favourable prices, and the Bulgarian government has a stake in the liquefied gas terminal under construction in Alexandroupolis, from where at least 0.5 billion cubic metres will enter.
Bulgargaz will retain the right to conclude separate contracts with its preferred gas suppliers, but negotiations are underway with BOTAS for joint purchases of liquefied gas from American and Norwegian companies.
Bulgaria is trying to bring Romania into the general deal to negotiate better prices. “With the signing of this contract, Bulgargaz gained access to the terminals and the BOTAS network. It provides an opportunity to buy gas from all world producers and to unload it where it is most convenient for us,” said Rosen Hristov after signing the agreement. According to him, the deal is essential for the region and the European market.
“This contract is symbolic and is the first step towards the great energy cooperation between the two countries,” said the Bulgarian energy minister. It made an impression that the Bulgarian side called the document – “agreement” and the Turkish side – “protocol” for cooperation.
“Today, we signed a protocol that will develop gas cooperation between the two countries and strengthen our relations,” Dönmez said. He also noted that the document is important for increasing the security of gas supplies in the Balkan region.
“This agreement is historic for our countries because, for the first time, it allows a foreign company to gain access to the liquefied gas terminals of the Republic of Turkey and because it opens up new, hitherto unthinkable, perspectives for cooperation,” said President Rumen Radev at the start of his meeting with Deonmez at Dondukov 2.
(Krassen Nikolov | EURACTIV.bg)
Source: euractiv.com
