Energy in Europe

Russia and Slovakia are in talks about Bratislava joining the TurkStream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline projects, Russian news agencies quoted Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as saying on June 5.

Bulgaria's Premier Boyko Borissov and his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras turned the first sod of the gas interconnector Komotini-Stara Zagora. The future gas interconnector is important for the whole region and for Europe as well and will contribute to real diversification of the gas sources and the gas routes, Premier Borissov says.

Serbia has taken delivery of the pipes it will use to construct its section of the TurkStream pipeline to carry Russian natural gas to Europe, the country's energy minister said on May 21.

,,Bulgaria as a member of the EU strictly respects the basic objectives and priorities of the European Union in the energy sector'', Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova said at the eighth energy conference dedicated to the prospects for the development of the sector in the region of Southeastern Europe opened today in Sofia Hotel Balkan.

Greece's J&P AVAX has won the tender to build a gas pipeline between Greece and Bulgaria for 133.85 million euros ($150.46 million), project manager ICGB said on Tuesday.

Corinth Pipeworks, part of Cenergy Holdings, has won a 58.2 million euro ($65.39 million) tender to supply line pipes for a gas interconnector link between Bulgaria and Greece, project company ICGB said.
The Greek pipe maker was one of three pre-selected contenders, one of which withdrew from the process and the other did not meet technical requirements, ICGB said in a statement.

By May 20th will happen the first sod of the construction where the interconnector with Greece will be made. This was announced by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov in Rousse. He was in the Danube town to get acquainted with the new investment of a German automotive locking plant that opened a new production base.
 

From the beginning of next year, Bulgaria will be able to import up to a billion and a half cubic meters of natural gas from Romania. This was reported during the energy conference in Sofia dedicated to alternative sources of blue fuel.

To reduce the politicization of the energy sector, experts from Russia, Serbia and Turkey called for a discussion in Sofia on the development of gas projects in the Balkans.

During the forum, Bulgartransgaz reported that in the deep-water drilling of the Black Sea  near Burgas, there are still no oil and gas.

Serbia will not accept the European Union's opposition to the TurkStream pipeline extension project as it did when the Union opposed the South Stream project four years ago, the Serbian Minister of Energy and Mining Aleksandar Antic told Anadolu Agency on April 10.