PM Borissov inspects progress on contruction of gas connection with Greece

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, together with Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova, on November 11 inspected the progress on the construction activities of the Greece-Bulgaria gas interconnector.

The ambassadors of the USA, Azerbaijan and Greece, as well as the head of Bulgaria’s energy regulator, Ivan Ivanov also attended.

The route is is over 180 km long and most of it is located on Bulgarian territory. It will connect the Greek city of Komotini with Bulgaria’s Stara Zagora.

Prime Minister Borissov emphasized that Bulgaria provides the bulk of the project financing - nearly BGN 500 million.

The contractors are two companies based in Greece. They will build the route and supply the pipes. The pipe provider is a company operating in Bulgaria.

The idea to build a gas pipeline between Komotini and Stara Zagora originated in 2009. However, construction began in the spring of this year. The purpose is through this pipeline to diversify natural gas supplies in Bulgaria. Until now, Bulgaria has contracted deliveries from Azerbaijan with the Azeri state company, for 1 billion cubic metres of natural gas. In addition, some quantities have been negotiated from a US supplier.