Bulgaria won’t hold talks to renew gas deal with Gazprom

Bulgaria will not renew a natural gas supply contract with Russia’s Gazprom PJSC amid the war in Ukraine, and will look at alternative supplies and a future joint European Union contract to avoid a shortfall, Deputy Prime Minister Assen Vassilev said Saturday, Report informs, referring to Bloomberg.

The Balkan country gets almost all of its gas through a 10-year contract with Gazprom that expires at the end-2022. For years, it has delayed projects to diversify its sources, including a pipeline link with neighbouring Greece and an expansion of the country’s single gas storage facility. The government is looking to speed up both projects amid fears that the war in Ukraine may cause disruption.

“In this situation, there’s no way there are talks with Gazprom,” Vassilev told the BNR public radio. “We have held talks with both Greece and Turkey to use existing infrastructure for LNG supplies and increase the deliveries from Azerbaijan, with which the country has a contract.”