Bulgaria´s Prime Minister Borisov hopes for quick solutions for the South Stream project

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Vladimir Putin discussed via phone the creation of working groups to review joint energy projects, the government in Sofia announced on August 5, 2016.

The working groups will discuss opportunities to resolve problems related to those projects in accordance with the European Union regulations. Sofia News Agency and TASS reported earlier that Putin and Borisov «agreed to intensify interaction within the framework of the Russian-Bulgarian Intergovernmental Commission on economic and scientific-technical cooperation». It provided no details of the telephone conversation.

The conversation was held at the initiative of Boyko Borisov a day after Sofia revealed that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker had sent a letter to Boyko Borisov with replies on issues relating tovarious energy projects relevant to both Bulgaria and Russia, the Bulgarian government said.

These include the abandoned projects for the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline and Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, as well as Bulgaria’s plan to build Balkan Gas Hub on its territory.
Boyko Borisov and Vladimir Putin also discussed issues related to nuclear energy, according to the statement.

In his letter to Borisov Jean-Claude Juncker raised the prospect of a possible restart of the abandoned Belene nuclear power plant project, saying that «if Bulgaria decides to build a new nuclear reactor, it must notify such an investment project to the European Commission.»

Bulgaria and Russia have decided to establish a joint working group to consider options for the future of the Belene project after the International Court of Arbitration ruled that Bulgarian state-owned electricity company NEK must pay EUR 550 M to Russia’s Atomstroyexport as compensation for the equipment already manufactured for Belene.