A long-delayed gas pipeline between Greece and Bulgaria is slated to be completed by the end of June, a development that will help the country move away from Russian gas amid the country’s war in Ukraine.
The update on the pipeline, known as the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector, was provided by Bulgaria’s prime minister Monday and comes as Bulgaria’s new government seeks to reduce its decadeslong dependence on Russian gas and to adopt an agenda that is more closely aligned with those of its EU and NATO allies.
“June will be the final date for the completion of this project, which is very important for us,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov told reporters Monday, after inspecting a construction site with Greek Energy Minister Kostas Skrekas.
That includes cutting its long-standing ties to the Russian state-owned gas giant, Gazprom. On Saturday, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Asen Vasilev said his country will not extend its 10-year contract with Gazprom when it comes up for renewal at the end of 2022, citing the war in Ukraine.
“In this situation, there cannot be talks with Gazprom,” Vasilev said in an interview with Bulgarian National Radio. “There are alternatives.”
EU HAS ENOUGH GAS TO SURVIVE THROUGH SUMMER WITHOUT RUSSIAN SUPPLIES
In the meantime, the country will also look at alternative suppliers to avoid a shortfall. Bulgaria is currently in talks “with both Greece and Turkey” to use existing infrastructure for imports of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, Vasilev said, and plans to ramp up its existing imports from Azerbaijan.
Though Vasilev acknowledged these alternatives are more expensive, he said the decision to move away from Russian supplies had become necessary amid its escalating violence in Ukraine.
“This is not just a Bulgarian position: This is a common European strategy,” Vasilev said, referring to a plan outlined by EU leaders in Versailles earlier this month to phase out Russian energy imports “as soon as possible.”
Bulgaria currently imports roughly 80% of its natural gas from Russia. But the new pipeline will allow Bulgaria to increase its gas capacity significantly from 3 billion cubic meters to 5 billion cubic meters annually, Reuters reported. It will also link Sofia with a planned LNG terminal in Alexandroupolis, which is slated for completion next year.
Bulgaria has some of the deepest ties to Russia in Europe, prompting some to dub it Moscow’s “Trojan Horse” in the European Union. But since taking power in December, Petkov has moved to chart a more pro-Western trajectory. Last week, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin traveled to Bulgaria to meet with Petkov, becoming the first U.S. defense secretary to make such a trip in 25 years.
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“We’ve become a very, very predictable and strong supporter” of NATO and EU decisions, Petkov said last week said, adding: “Bulgaria is not anymore a soft country that has only balancing acts.”
