site.btaEnergy Minister Leaves on Working Visits to South Korea and Japan

Bulgaria's caretaker Minister of Energy Vladimir Malinov is leaving on working visits to South Korea and Japan, his ministry reported on Sunday.

In South Korea, Malinov will sign a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in energy between the two countries' governments. The memorandum will establish a framework for strengthening contacts to encourage Bulgarian and South Korean companies to participate in competitive bidding procedures in the field of energy, in new investments in energy production from renewable sources and in building energy storage facilities, and to share good practices in the natural gas industry.

Malinov will discuss these matters in Seoul with Ahn Duk-geun, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy. He will also talk with Kweon Ki-hwan, Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Meetings with Hyundai Engineering & Construction President and CEO Yoon Young-Joon and senior executives of the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation and Korea Eximbank are also on the agenda of Malinov's visit.

In Tokyo, Malinov will sign a memorandum of understanding between the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy and the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for cooperation in implementing the energy transition.

Bulgaria and Japan will consider sharing expertise in green technology, natural gas, nuclear power, renewable energy and low-carbon hydrogen technology.

Malinov will hold talks with Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ken Saito. He will also meet with representatives of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Nippon Export and Investment Insurance, and the companies Toshiba and Hitachi, among others.

On August 30, the Bulgarian government gave the green light to the signing of three strategic energy cooperation documents, two of them with Japan and South Korea.