Bulgarian caretaker Minister of Energy Rossen Hristov said that, in 2024, about 1 billion cubic meters or roughly 10 tankers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be unloaded at the Greek terminal at Alexandroupoli will be for Bulgaria, which will cover about a third of the country’s consumption.
According to Minister Hristov, the construction of the terminal is expected to be completed at the end of this year and the facility should enter into commercial operation next year.
Bulgarian natural gas transmission system operator Bulgartransgaz holds a 20 % stake in the LNG terminal. In August 2022, the capacity booked by Bulgaria was increased from 500 million cubic meters to 1 billion cubic meters per year.
The regasification capacity of the terminal will be 5 billion cubic meters per year and Bulgaria will utilize a quarter of that amount.
He said that Bulgaria will also use gas from LNG deliveries to Turkish terminals and is currently negotiating with US company Cheniere and major European producers and traders in view of ensuring gas supplies to Bulgaria completely over the long term and guaranteeing the country’s energy security.