Bulgarian energy passed from “grand slam” to reasonable projects on energy efficiency, diversification of the sources and routes for the energy supply and energy liberalization. This is our great achievement, Head of State Rosen Plevneliev said, who held talks at 2 Dondukov street today with Amos Hochstein, Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs at the US Department of State.
Bulgaria’s strategic importance not only for the region where the South Gas Corridor projects will be implemented, but also for the construction of the inter-connector between Bulgaria and Greece (IGB), which will ensure real diversification of the sources and routes of natural gas supply for the region and for Europe, was highlighted. The construction of the inter-connector is planned to start in October, 2016 and will be commissioned by mid-2018.
“We have two goals – to ensure that the Bulgarian economy and the whole region are not dependent on one energy source and that Europe is less dependent on energy supplies at non-competitive prices,” President Plevneliev said at the meeting.
President Plevneliev and Amos Hochstein shared the opinion that integration and the flexibility of the energy market require more connectivity of the regional energy infrastructure. In this respect, the speeded-up construction of Bulgaria’s gas inter-connectors with its neighboring countries is particularly important. Namely the connectivity – of the energy networks, of the road, railway and communication infrastructure in the region – is one of the priorities the Bulgarian chairmanship of SEECP has set itself, the Head of State said. The President added that our country has been improving its national energy infrastructure in the past years and all conditions necessary for Bulgaria to maintain its position of the region’s energy distribution center, are available.
Rosen Plevneliev and Amos Hochstein voiced their contentment with the intensive work of the Intergovernmental Energy Security working group within the framework of the strategic dialogue between Bulgaria and the US, which assisted the speeding up of the work on key energy projects.