site.btaEnergy Minister Petkova Presents Government Priorities in Energy Sector

Sofia, August 15 (BTA) - Energy Minister Temenouzhka Petkova presented the government priorities in the energy sector for 2017-2020 at a news conference on Tuesday.

The prime priority is to guarantee the country's energy security, Petkova said. This will be achieved by continuing deep sea prospecting in the Black Sea. Prospecting in the Khan Asparouh Bloc has advanced considerably and a second series of prospecting is expected to be launched soon.

Gas interconnectors with Greece, Serbia and Turkey should be built and the already built one with Romania should be developed, the Energy Minister said. "Developing this infrastructure will also allow Bulgaria to implement a gas distribution hub project in its territory," she added. A public procurement procedure for the selections of a contractor to make a feasibility study for this centre will also be launched by the end of August.

Preserving nuclear power generation in Bulgaria and finding solutions for the Belene N-plant project are also included in the Ministry's programme. This requires a clear vision for using the equipment intended for Belene. The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences has been contracted to analyse the feasible use of the equipment. Then the scientists will have to analyse the main directions of Bulgaria's energy strategy for 2030-2050. In addition, the life-span of Kozloduy N-plant's Units 5 and 6 has to be extended. The energy sector is financially stable, Petkova said.