Bulgaria's state-run gas company Bulgargaz is in talks with Gazprom Export to supply the entire gas volume needed for the domestic market, aiming to offset Overgas' refusal to renew its contract. Bulgargaz executive director Dimitar Gogov told Reuters the decision by Overgas, which is 50%-owned by Russian giant Gazprom, came as no surprise and is in compliance by Bulgaria to remove middlemen in Russian gas deliveries.
Overgas' decision to sell directly to industrial consumers from 2011 could cause Bulgargaz to lose some market share, according to Gogov. "There's always the risk for us to be ousted from the market in one way or another," he said.