site.btaBulgtransgaz CEO: Gas from Alexandroupolis Terminal Will Boost Competition and Guarantee Supplies 

Thanks to Bulgartransgaz' investment in the Alexandroupolis terminal, significant additional LNG flows from the US, Qatar and other countries will soon enter the Bulgarian market, said CEO Vladimir Malinov in a BTA interview on the occasion of the upcoming launch of commercial operation of the facility. According to him, this has contributed to strengthening competition in terms of prices and ensuring supplies.  

Malinov pointed out that the first test batch of LNG is already at the Alexandroupolis terminal, in which Bulgaria has a 20% stake, and work is underway to connect it to the established gas transmission infrastructure in Greece. Commercial operation of the terminal is expected to start in the spring. "Bulgartransgaz plans to implement two more projects that will increase the transmission capacities from Greece to Bulgaria and from Bulgaria to Romania, he said. 

The Bulgarian gas transmission operator will analyze potential for acquiring a stake in a second LNG terminal in Greece, looking for the most efficient investment, Vladimir Malinov added. Increasing demand for LNG and natural gas from alternative sources in the region should be taken into account, which has changed the direction of gas flows. In order to continue supplying and accessing sufficient quantities of gas in the context of steadily increasing market integration in the countries of South-East Europe, LNG regasification and south-north transport capacities need to be increased. 

Even more important is partnership with the gas transmission operators in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe to implement the strategic Vertical Gas Corridor project. Malinov recalled that on January 19 2024 the Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of the initiative was renewed in Athens, and was joined by the gas operators of Ukraine, Moldova and Slovakia.    

The Bulgartransgaz CEO defined the expansion of the gas storage in Chiren as one of the most significant energy investments in the region at the moment. 

Of Bulgaria’s green transition, Malinov said that in November 2023, the European Commission included the first hydrogen project for Bulgaria in a EU Projects of Common Interest list. Bulgartransgaz's proposed project for hydrogen transmission infrastructure in Bulgaria is key to the implementation of the concept of clean hydrogen transportation. The planned infrastructure consists of a new pipeline of about 250 km and two compressor stations in the Dupnitsa and Kulata area. A hydrogen interconnection point with the network of the Greek gas transmission operator DESFA is planned in the Kulata/Sidirokastro area. The new infrastructure will allow two-way transmission of both domestically produced hydrogen and hydrogen from Greece.  

With this decision, the Commission has recognized the importance of the project and made it possible to apply for grant funding for exploration activities and, in the future, to co-finance the construction itself. Bulgartransgaz is already developing projects for the subsequent development of the hydrogen transmission infrastructure to neighbouring countries, as well as for adapting the existing gas transmission system to handle hydrogen-gas mixtures.