04 Jan 2023; MEMO: Bulgaria has signed a deal for gas imports via Turkiye, opening a new gas corridor from Turkish territory to Balkan countries and European Union member states.
At a ceremony yesterday, the directors of the Bulgarian state gas company, Bulgargaz, and Turkish state energy company, BOTAS – Denitsa Zlateva and Burhan Yozcan – signed a 13-year deal for the transit of 1.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year from Turkiye to Bulgaria, in the presence of both countries' energy ministers, Rosen Hristov and Fatih Donmez.
The deal between the two state companies is set to cover half of the necessary amount of natural gas for Bulgaria – currently transferred through Greece – and represents a new route for gas transfers from Turkiye to Europe.
Following the signing of the agreement, Bulgarian Energy Minister, Hristov, stated that the contract is essential for the region and the European market, and "provides an opportunity to buy gas from all world producers and to unload it where it is most convenient for us". He added that "This contract is symbolic and is the first step towards the great energy cooperation between the two countries".
READ: Turkiye's energy outlook and achieving energy independence
As part of the agreement, Bulgargaz will retain its right to have separate contracts with other gas suppliers, such as its long-term contract to import 1 billion cubic metres of Azeri gas per year and its stake in the liquefied gas terminal under construction in the Greek city of Alexandropoulos, which is set to provide at least another 0.5 billion cubic metres.
Further negotiations are underway with the Turkish state company, BOTAS, for joint purchases of liquefied gas from American and Norwegian companies.
Such strides in energy cooperation and supply – through the much-applauded TurkStream pipeline – comes amid Turkiye's aim to become a major energy hub headed especially for Europe, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stating last year that Russian gas will be transported to Europe through his country.
Turkiye's own domestic natural gas supplies are also on the rise in its effort to become energy self-sufficient, as the country continues to discover tens of billions of cubic metres in Black Sea reserves.
