Bulgaria's Energy Ministry

Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.8

By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:

It is planned to start the construction of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to Bulgaria, by late 2018, said Bulgaria's Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova.

Bulgaria and Serbia's Energy Ministers are to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on the construction of a gas link between the two countries, Bulgarian officials say.

Bulgaria's Energy Ministry and the Electricity and Water Regulatory Commission (KEVR) will start emergency inspections of the three electricity distribution ventures due to the record-high consumption of electricity in the last two months.

The purpose is to guarantee that the bills of household consumers for December and January are real.

Next week, Bulgaria's Energy Ministry will sign a contract with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences for the preparation of an analysis as to whether Bulgaria needs new nuclear capacity, as understood by the statement of outgoing Minister Petkova on bTV on Thursday morning.

Bulgartransgas EAD and eustream a.s will work towards improving the security of natural gas deliveries in Central and Southeastern Europe and the implementation of the infrastructure projects - gas hub Balkan and gas pipeline Eastring, reported Bulgaria's Energy Ministry.

Bulgaria will use budget funding to pay nearly EUR 629 M to Russian company Atomstroyexport, Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova has said.

The sum must be transferred in an urgent manner as interest is being accumulated every day, Petkova has told members of the Energy and Finance committees with the Bulgarian Parliament.

The gas transmission operators of Bulgaria and Romania, Bulgartransgaz and Transgaz, will sign a contract with Austria's Habau PPS Pipeline Systems SRL for the construction of the section of a gas interconnection under the Danube river.

The signing ceremony will take place on Wednesday afternoon in Sofia, Bulgaria's Energy Ministry announced on Tuesday.

Control Engineering OOD is to consult and conduct construction supervision activities for the Bulgaria-Serbia gas grid interconnector project, according to reports of Bulgaria's Energy Ministry.

Bulgaria's Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova and Slovakia's Economy Minister Vazil Hudak confirmed the political support of the two countries for the Eastring gas pipeline project and discussed the next steps towards its implementation.

The first reading of Energy Act amendments envisaging the establishment of an Electricity System Security Fund is to take place on Tuesday.

The changes were proposed by Bulgaria's Energy Ministry in a bid to curb the deficit at the National Electric Company (NEK), according to reports of the Bulgarian National Radio.