site.btaPrime Minister Borissov: Bulgaria's Investments Allow Full Diversification of Energy Sources

Sofia, January 1 (BTA) - After Bulgaria started getting Azeri
natural gas supplies on December 31, Prime Minister Boyko
Borissov said on Friday: "Bulgaria's investments and capacity
allow full diversification of energy sources. This whole
infrastructure is 100 per cent Bulgarian." He visited the
Petrich compressor station on January 1 with Energy Minister
Temenouzhka Petkova and Azerbaijan's Ambassador Nargiz
Gurbanova.

Nearly 400 million leva have been invested in the new compressor
 stations alone, said Borissov, adding that this makes Bulgaria
a geostrategic country through which gas from various sources is
 transited.

Azeri gas will initially be received via the existing gas link
between Bulgaria and Greece, the Kulata-Sidirokastro pipeline.
Later on, gas will flow via the Gas Interconnector
Greece-Bulgaria, which is to start commercial operations in
October 2021. Bulgaria will import some 1 billion cubic metres
of natural gas per year from the Shah Deniz II field in
Azerbaijan for 25 years under a contract between public gas
supplier Bulgargaz and Azerbaijan's state oil and gas company
SOCAR.

Energy Minister Petkova noted that what the Bulgarian government
 had done in its last two terms is unprecedented. "Natural gas
supplies from Azerbaijan to Bulgaria have been the dream of many
 Bulgarians," she said.

Ambassador Gurbanova called this "a historic moment". She said
the flow of Azeri gas through Bulgaria's gas pipelines was a
megaproject, noting the two countries' strong cooperation.

In a telephone conversation later on Friday, Borissov and
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev concurred that this was an
important step in the energy diversification of both Bulgaria
and Europe, the government information service said.

Borissov stressed the government's achievements in the energy
sector, noting that  Bulgaria and Azerbaijan have the potential
to deepen their trade and energy cooperation so that both the
region and Europe can see an increase in Azeri natural gas
supplies.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister praised the two countries'
excellent cooperation on all levels, emphasizing the importance
of cultural cooperation. He invited Aliyev to visit Bulgaria
early in 2021 to see for himself the upgraded compressor
stations, and Azerbaijan's President said he would be glad to do
 so as soon as possible.

The two exchanged New Year's greetings. NV/DD