Bulgaria intends to replace 50% of Russian gas with LNG and Azerbaijani gas

Bulgaria, which imports almost all of the gas from Russia, intends to buy half of this volume from other sources by the end of this year, Report informs referring to Bulgarian Energy Ministry.

Following the several meetings as part of the Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova’s visit to the US, Bulgaria will continue to diversify the sources and routes on import of natural gas to the country.

‘Bulgaria and the US have cooperation in the LNG field. By the end of the year, 50% of natural gas consumption will be diversified. Half of the total gas consumption in the country – 3 billion cubic meters – will be replaced with the supply of Azerbaijani gas and LNG’, the information said.

In June 2019, Bulgaria bought the first part of the LNG. As at the end of 2019, total consumption amounted to 0.5 billion cubic meters.

Azerbaijani gas, including Shah Deniz 2 gas, will be transported to Bulgaria via IGB pipeline, which will connect with TAP and deliver the Shah Deniz gas to Europe.

At the first stage, the pipeline’s capacity will be 3 billion cubic meters, of which 2.7 billion cubic meters will be directed to long-term markets, 0.3 billion cubic meters to short-term markets.

In the second stage, the capacity of the pipeline can be increased up to 5.3 billion cubic meters thanks to an additional compressor station. Of this, 4.5 billion cubic meters will be directed to the long-term market, 0.5 billion cubic meters to the short-term markets.