Bulgarian section of TurkStream gas pipeline extension will be completed by the end of this year, Ekaterina ZaharievaBulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs said.
This is much farther than the initial estimate made by natural gas transmission system operator Bulgartransgaz, who said that works on the pipeline would be completed by the end of May.
Minister Zaharieva’s statement was also confirmed by Bulgartransgaz, noting that it is very unlikely that Russian natural gas will flow to central Europe via this pipeline in 2020. The company said that The Covid-19 outbreak has delayed the delivery of equipment and the issue of permits for the many non-EU workers on the project, who have also had to pass a 14-day mandatory quarantine.
Last September, Bulgartransgaz and Saudi-based Arkad Consortium have signed a contract for the delivery of materials, investment project design, development and commissioning of the the Bulgarian section of TurkStream extension. The contract is worth 1.1 billion euros and has to be implemented within 615 days after its conclusion. The new pipeline will allow Bulgartransgaz to supply gas to Serbia, Hungary and finally, the hub in Austria. Bulgartransgaz also signed a contract, worth 197.5 million euros, with a consortium consisting of German FerroStaal and two local companies for the construction of two gas compressor stations.
