The Bulgarian Prime Minister Mr. Boyko Borissov, the Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Tomislav Donchev, the Minister of Energy Mrs. Temenuzhka Petkova, the Deputy Minister of Energy of Saudi Arabia Mr. Aabed Abdullah Al-Saadoun, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Bulgaria Mr. Anatoliy Makarov, the State Secretary of Information and International Representation of Hungary Mr. Tamas Menczer, representatives of the local authorities and Members of Parliament all took part in the opening ceremony.
“We proved that we can implement projects, through which we uphold the role of Bulgaria on the European gas map”, said the Executive Director of Bulgartransgaz EAD, Vladimir Malinov. Malinov highlighted the fact that the investment amounting to BGN 75 million is fully covered by the gas company itself and he feels the project is fundamental to the Balkan Gas Hub, which is a top priority for the Bulgarian government.
The gas pipeline route will pass through 11 districts – Varna, Shumen, Razgrad, Targovishte, Ruse, Veliko Tarnovo, Lovech, Pleven, Vratza, Montana and Vidin and 5km of the route have already been dug up, while over 6 km of pipelines are ready to be laid; the cleared track for the construction site is 17 km.
The expansion of the existing transmission system and the realisation of the Balkan Gas Hub concept aim to conserve the role of the Republic of Bulgaria as a leading gas trading and distribution hub in the region and the EU. The project for expansion of the gas transmission system, Balkan Stream, is a priority for the Bulgarian government and aims to improve security of supplies of gas from different sources and to enhance competition and transparency of the gas market; in turn, this is hoped to have a positive effect for natural gas consumers.
