There are over 100 archaeological sites on the route of the South Stream gas pipeline in Bulgaria and their fate remains unknown.

The Bulgarian section of the South Stream gas pipeline is around 540km long.

One year ago, Bulgarian archaeologists studied the entire gas pipeline route and found out that there were over 100 archaeological sites under it, according to private TV station Nova TV.

The sites were designated as accurately as possible and presented to the investors behind the South Stream gas pipeline project – Russian Gazprom and the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH).

The archeologists have not started working on the sites despite the fact that the sod-turning ceremony for the Bulgarian stretch of the pipeline took place on October 31.

According to the Director of the Bulgarian National Institute of Archaeology, who is also among the researchers taking part in the excavations related to the Nabucco gas pipeline,  the law obliges the investor to provide the funding.

This means that the money for the archaeological excavations on the route of the Bulgarian stretch of the South Stream gas pipeline is to be provided by Gazprom and BEH.

Approached for comment, they came up with a written statement confirming that they would keep their obligations, without specifying a deadline.

Natural gas is to start flowing through the Bulgarian section of the South Stream pipeline in 2015.

Archaeologists worry that if they fail to get the funding by March, they will have too little time left for the excavations and a large part of these unique sites may be damaged.

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