Bulgarian and Serbian state-owned gas companies, Bulgartransgaz and Srbijagas, are in talks over a new link with a capacity of 10-12 billion cubic metres (bcm) per year, Sofia-based media reported on July 13, 2017.
«2 days ago we signed a memorandum with our Serbian counterparts under which, if we manage to implement our idea for a gas hub, they will make the necessary expansion of their transmission system so that this gas could be transported to Hungary and Austria,» Capital Daily newspaper quoted Georgi Gegov, CEO of Bulgartransgaz, as saying.
Bulgarian experts and representatives of Russia's Gazprom are still discussing options for the route for Russian gas deliveries after the completion of the future Turkish Stream gas pipeline project, Gegov said.
The cheapest option will be to expand the capacity of the existing transit pipeline, currently used to carry some 12 bcm of gas from Bulgaria to Turkey, according to Gegov.
In May 2017, Russian media quoted the country's prime minister Dmitry Medvedev as saying Moscow was in talks with Greece and Bulgaria over the point of entry of an extension of Turkish Stream into the European Union.
The Turkish Stream pipeline, meant to replace the existing route for the transit of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine, will transport Russian gas to consumers in Turkey and Europe across the Black Sea.
