site.btaDrop in Pressure in Nat Gas Supply Pipe from Ukraine, Supply Not Affected - Deputy PM Zaharieva

Drop in Pressure in Nat Gas Supply Pipe from Ukraine, Supply Not Affected -
Deputy PM Zaharieva


Sofia, October 28 (BTA) - There is a drop in pressure in the
natural gas supply pipe from Ukraine, but Bulgaria can currently
meet all its commitments related to the supply and transmission
of natural gas, Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said
on Tuesday.

It is normal for the pressure in the pipe to be above 38 bars
and it is currently 34 bars, however, this does not mean that
Bulgaria is unable to extract as much gas as it needs, Zaharieva
explained. The critical point would be reached if the pressure
drops below 28 bars, she added.

The Deputy PM said that Bulgaria has not received any warnings
about lowering the natural gas supply. "We are constantly
following up on this information and are prepared for such a
situation," Zaharieva said, adding that pressure in the pipe is
being monitored daily and the crisis task force has been working
non-stop.

Unfortunately the Romanian interconnector is not ready yet,
although the deadline was this summer, said Zaharieva, adding
that the interconnector could not be used this winter. A tender
procedure for selecting a new contractor has not been launched
yet, the Deputy PM said, adding that Bulgaria was assured that
the Romanian consortium will be able to handle this.