site.btaOvergas Denies Receiving Letter for Halting of Russian Gas Supplies

Overgas Denies Receiving Letter for Halting of Russian Gas Supplies

Sofia, December 31 (BTA) - The Bulgarian gas company, Overgas Inc., has not received a letter from Gazprom Export about a possible halting of gas supplies as of January 1, 2016, the company said on Thursday. The message recalls that Overgas and Gazprom Export have signed a long-term contract for gas supplies by 2017.

Overgas has been fulfilling all commitments undertaken to its contractors. The company has no outstanding debts towards Gazprom Export but only standard current obligations, related to the gas supplies, reads the message.

Overgas is a natural gas supplier of the gas distribution companies and industrial subscribers in the country. The largest quantities are supplied to Overgas Mrezhi having over 55,000 households and 3,000 economic entities as subscribers. Noone of the company's clients is threatened in any way with halting of deliveries, Overgas notes in its message.

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov called a meeting of the chiefs of state-owned energy companies Wednesday evening and gave instructions to ensure a state of readiness for providing additional gas amounts, if necessary. Bulgarian Energy Holding Executive Director Zhaklen Koen told a BTA reporter that there is such readiness and Overgas needs only to request from Bulgargaz the signing of a contract, so that the Overgas clients could get supplies.

The meeting under Prime Minister Borissov was prompted by a letter from Gazprom Export to Overgas (with a copy to Bulgargaz), where a zero featured in the column with the supplies for Overgas, which could possibly mean that Bulgarian household subscribers would not receive natural gas, Koen explained.