Bulgarian caretaker Prime Minister Galeb Donev said that the country will launch an auction for the short-term supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) next week in order to secure the supply of gas for the upcoming winter season.
PM Donev said that the Ministries of Finance and Energy will find a way to stabilize the financial situation of public gas supplier Bulgargaz, so it is in a position to meet the costs of all contracted gas deliveries.
Bulgaria consumer some 3 billion cubic meters of gas per year, majority of which was supplied by Russian Gazprom until this April when the Russian company cut off supplies after its request for payment in rubles was not met by Bulgaria.
State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) has already agreed to supply Bulgaria with 1 billion cubic meters of gas per year via the newly-finished gas interconnection between Bulgaria and Greece, which should be commissioned before the start of the heating season. The pipeline will also enable the flow of LNG to Bulgaria and southeastern Europe from Greece’s future terminal at Alexandroupoli, in addition to the existing one at Revythoussa, paving the way for potential future LNG imports from the US, Algeria, Qatar, Egypt and other suppliers.
Azerbaijan exported 160 million cubic meters of gas to Bulgaria in the first half of 2022 and plans to export a further 600 million by the end of the year .
