A “gas fever” can be observed now in Europe, as the Old Continent hopes to end its energy dependence on Russia’s blue fuel. People have been talking recently more and more about the huge reserves of alternative kinds of gas, exceeding the quantities of the traditional one six times. Thus the energy grip of Europe’s major gas supplier – the Russian Gazprom is about to loosen up. While the Old Continent is looking feverishly for options to escape its dependence from the Russian blue fuel via shale gas researches, increasing of the energy effectiveness and a series of legislative changes in their energy policies, the “Eastern Empire” prepares “to strike back”. PM Putin himself ordered the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline to start as early as 2012. The goal is the entering into force of the so-called Third Energy Package of the EU to be outrun. It imposes anti-monopoly rules that restrict the controlling share on the ownership and transition of blue fuel along the gas pipeline and gas repositories in the member-states. However, the third act of the drama is still expected, since a final decision should be taken on the route of Caspian gas towards Europe along the southern corridor that unites several large-scaled projects.
Special Envoy of the United States Secretary of State for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar arrived on a visit to Bulgaria these days. He met high-ranked officials in Sofia – the president, the pm, foreign and economy ministers… The main topics of conversations were related to Bulgaria’s energy independence and diversification of energy supplies. “The energy sector is a part of each country’s national security in the modern world,” Mr. Tihomir Stoichev, presidential adviser on political issues stated before journalists after the meeting of Mr. Morningstar with President Plevneliev.
“Bulgarian policy in the sphere of energy is based on several major principles – energy security, energy effectiveness, liberalization, transparency and energy diversification,” Mr. Stoichev commented. “Those are supported by our American partners too. The main message of this meeting is the necessity of energy independence in Bulgaria, the ways for its reaching and the political will for its implementation.”
Mr. Morningstar said in his turn: (audio)
The main subjects of the conversations with PM Boyko Borissov and Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov were intersystem connections with Turkey and Greece, the options before the Southern Gas Corridor and Bulgaria’s energy security. The prime minister has informed the American diplomat that the joint actions of Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece and Romania for the building of the pipes have marked a significant progress and the construction is expected to start as early as 2012.
The development of the Southern Gas Corridor was also a key moment in the conversations of Mr. Morningstar with Bulgarian Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism Traicho Traikov. This project is viewed as a factor for the diversification of energy supplies for Bulgaria and the EU, because with the execution of the Southern Gas Corridor this country will link directly European consumers with the biggest gas deposits in the world, situated in the Caspian and Middle East basins. “Our goal is to bring Caspian gas here as soon as possible and in the cheapest possible manner,” Minister Traikov summed up. A day later he discussed in Paris projects of the Southern Gas Corridor with Great Britain’s Commercial Secretary to the Treasury James Sassoon. “We work simultaneously on several ideas for gas supplies,” Minister Traikov said after the meeting in France. Experts claim that the construction of the Southern Gas Corridor may start relatively quickly. Bulgaria – Turkey and Bulgaria – Greece gas connections are important part of it. It will be the first constructed infrastructural part of the Southern Gas Corridor too. The goal is no gas supplier to hold more than 50 percent from Bulgaria’s gas market. The construction of the corridor will provide supplies of blue fuel, covering 10 – 20 percent of Europe’s needs in 2020.
English version: Zhivko Stanchev
