site.btaEnergy Minister Says Bulgaria Prioritizes Becoming Key Player in Transmission of Natural Gas, Renewable Energy

Caretaker Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov participated in the ministerial session of the first International Energy Forum held Friday in Istanbul with the participation of energy ministers from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary, Moldova, Libya, Serbia, Uzbekistan, Russia's Deputy Energy Minister, as well as a large number of experts and businessmen.

In an exclusive interview with BTA, Malinov said that events like the energy forum in Istanbul represent a very good platform for the development not only of bilateral relations, but also of cooperation in a broader format. He said that he had participated in a trilateral meeting with the energy ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkiye in connection with the increase of the natural gas transmission capacity through Bulgaria, as well as in bilateral meetings with the ministers of Moldova and Serbia, who have expressed interest and willingness to join the initiatives for the transmission of natural gas through Bulgaria as well as for the transmission of electricity.

"At these meetings, we once again set our ambitious goals for new corridors, for increasing the natural gas transmission capacity through Bulgaria to serve our country, the Balkan region and Central and Western Europe, as well as for the transmission of renewable energy," the Minister said.

Here follows the full transcript of the interview:

What is the significance of this event for the development of the energy sector and the Bulgarian energy sector in particular?

Events such as the energy forum in Istanbul have great relevance, great use as a very good platform for the future development of not only bilateral relations, because in the energy sector we have a long-standing, excellent relationship with Turkiye, cooperation, assistance, sponsorship, but it is also a platform that allows us to see how many friends, how many countries, are involved or helping the development of energy in a different format.

In addition to Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Tajikistan also took part in the forum, which created an exceptional momentum, an extremely important moment in which Bulgaria needs to be proactive and act now, because in energy it is crucial to take the right decisions at the right time and with the right partners. Because any delay would lead to being 'left out of the game'. 

You held meetings and talks with your colleagues from other countries, could you point out specifically with whom and what they revealed?

I used the forum to further develop our bilateral, trilateral, quadrilateral relations. It is in favour of the development of the Bulgarian energy sector and of keeping Bulgaria on the energy map, not only of Europe, because Bulgaria does have such a geostrategic position that it can exploit, connecting precisely those regions of the world that have natural resources, oil and gas, and which also have the possibility of producing a significant amount of renewable energy.

We have had a trilateral meeting with the energy ministers of Azerbaijan and Turkiye on increasing the capacity to transport natural gas through Bulgaria. This is something that will contribute not only to Bulgaria, but to the whole region.

We have had the opportunity to receive substantial support at quadrilateral level from a meeting between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkiye and Bulgaria for the development of a corridor for the transmission of green energy from the Caspian Region. At this juncture, on the basis of bilateral meetings with the Minister of Energy of Moldova and the Minister of Mining and Energy of Serbia, we have received confirmation that they are interested in both the transmission of natural gas through Bulgaria and the transmission of electricity and are willing to join these initiatives.

At these meetings, we once again set our ambitious goals for new corridors, for increasing the capacity to transport natural gas through Bulgaria to serve our country, the Balkan region and Central and Western Europe. And for the transmission of renewable energy, because the need for renewable energy in Europe will increase every year. So connectivity, building new networks for the transmission of renewable energy, is one of the main priorities. And I believe that in this forum, I have been able to convince colleagues that these joint initiatives, where we do not have to act separately but in good cooperation, will contribute to the well-being of every household, of every individual, and to the development of the energy sector of every country.

There is a long-standing partnership between Bulgaria and Turkiye, on the basis of being neighbours on the one hand and, on the other, connected by energy corridors to Europe. What new moments can we expect?  

It is for these reasons that the strategic partnership between Bulgaria and Turkiye is important. It will enable all the countries in the Caspian Region, especially Azerbaijan, which is a long-standing partner of ours in the supply of natural gas, but also in the supply of renewable energy, for which the country has great potential, as we pointed out at the COP29 forum in Baku.

Our ambitious goals are to make Bulgaria a key player, to deepen the transmission of natural gas and renewable energy from the Caspian region from Azerbaijan and from the countries on the other side of the Caspian region.

Bulgaria is the initiator of a green energy corridor. Turkiye has significant plans to develop renewable energy in the Asian part of the country and thus deepen energy cooperation with new aspects.

Representatives of Bulgarian energy companies also participated in the forum in Istanbul...

Yes, the Bulgartransgaz Chief Executive Officer and the Electricity System Operator Executive Director, the two state-owned companies that operate and develop Bulgaria's gas and electricity grids and which have the necessary expertise to continue what we have laid down as a foundation.

I believe that we will have the opportunity to ensure that the forum does not remain an isolated event and that it brings to fruition in the new conditions the tasks of the energy sector, which is the backbone of any economy and is the basis of the security of countries.