Bulgarian Energy Minister Traicho Traikov has expressed his confidence in the fact that the South Stream gas pipeline will be granted a derogation by the European Commission on third-party access requirements.

The condition is part is part of EU's so-called Third Package of energy market liberalization.

In Traikov's words, the derogation will also apply to the Nabucco gas pipeline and the gas grid interconnection projects.

According to his Wednesday media statement, cited by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency, almost none of the current gas pipeline projects can operate in line with the requirements of a fully liberalized market, which is why these new schemes will require a deferral as regards the provision of third-party access to the gas transmission systems.

On May 23, Russian Energy Minister Sergey Shmatko proposed to the European Commission to "consider South Stream as a continuation of our trans-border trunk gas pipelines and ban the access of third parties to it".

Shmatko attended a presentation of the EUR 15.5 B gas conduit to EC authorities in Brussels aimed at boosting its chances of receiving an equal treatment with other Southern Gas Corridor projects, Nabucco, ITGI and Trans-Adriatic.

Marcel Kramer, the project's CEO, has said that the final decision about South Stream must be taken by the end of 2012.

In his words, the feasibility study for the gas pipeline is to be completed by September.

South Stream, a joint project of Russian Gazprom and Italian Eni, is to transport Russian gas to Europe under the Black Sea.

The gas pipeline, seen as a rival to EU-backed Nabucco, is scheduled for completion in 2015.

At the same time, Nabucco Gas Pipeline International GmbH has said that the cost of project has not risen from the initial EUR 7.9 B, Minister Traikov has reminded.

According to him, a more expensive gas pipeline would entail a bigger total length of the facility and more branch pipelines.

Nabucco, an EU priority project, is aims to transport Caspian gas to Europe and bypass Russia.

The official deadline for the completion of the project and the first gas supplies is 2015.

The legal framework for the Nabucco gas pipeline was finalized in early June 2011 as the five transit countries - Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Turkey – have signed Project Support Agreements (PSAs) with the Nabucco Consortium.

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