Bulgaria’s state-owned gas company signed an agreement with its Turkish equivalent Botas on Tuesday, giving Bulgargaz access to the Turkish state-owned gas trading company’s LNG terminals and supply network.
The 13-year agreement was signed in the presence of the energy ministers of both countries.
Bulgargaz uses the Botas network for gas switching
According to Bulgaria’s interim Energy Minister Rosen Hristov, the deal solves the problem of his country’s lack of infrastructure for offloading liquefied natural gas (LNG).
“Thanks to this agreement, we will secure the opportunity to buy gas from all international producers and unload it in Turkey, where it is logistically the most convenient for us,” Hristov said.
The minister added that it would allow Bulgaria to move up to 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
“The agreement is important to increase security of supply in the Balkan region,” said Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez.
Energy shift from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Until last year, Bulgaria was heavily dependent on Russia for its gas supplies, but Sofia was forced to look for alternatives after the Kremlin’s decision to invade Ukraine and subsequent European Union sanctions against Moscow.
After halting gas imports directly from Russia in April, Bulgaria connected its gas network to the Greek network, joined the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline and brought energy supplies from Azerbaijan.
jsi/jcg (AP, AFP, dpa)