Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR has assured the Bulgarian side that gas deliveries to Bulgaria can begin in 2020, announced Deputy Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov after a meeting with the management of SOCAR in Baku, reported BNR.

“What has been set to them as deadlines and will be carried out as of 2020 is for the gas infrastructure to be functional. They are the chief factor with respect to the gas infrastructure, namely the South Gas Stream. On our part, we have undertaken the obligation, and we have constant, monthly conversations, to brief them on the development of the Greek link and, on their part, we have been assured that the flows of this one billion cubic metres to Bulgaria through the South Stream Gas Corridor, IHB, to our gas system of Bulgartransgaz will start flowing in 2020. ”

Stankov announced that there is an option for Bulgaria to import larger quantities of gas from Azerbaijan as of 2023. At present, Bulgargaz has a contract for the delivery of one billion cubic metres from the Shah Deniz 2 deposit.

At the same time, our Azerbaijani partners are thinking of a way to invest in the project for the gas distribution hub Balkan.

“In their opinion and in the way they presented their intentions for a prospect, they are looking for the exact option how to become investors envisaging whether this is to be done via SOCAR or a subsidiary, which assured us that they are really discussing the option of developing such a project on the territory of the country. They did not undertake a clear obligation of how they will participate but the very fact that they are looking for an option how to participate in it shows that we now have processes at work in SOCAR for them to think in this direction,” added Stankov