Yesterday, the Russian state-owned company Gazprom announced that it was suspending gas supplies to Bulgaria, without giving specific reasons. “The Bulgarian side has fully fulfilled its obligations and has made all payments required under this agreement, in a timely manner, strictly and in accordance with its clauses,” Bulgargaz explained. At around 10 am this morning, the physical flow of gas at the Strandja-Malkoclar entry point at the Turkish border continues in normal volumes, which means that the cessation of transmission is not yet a fact.
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The physical flow of Russian gas to Bulgaria continues after 9 am this morning, with even a slight increase.
Although the country is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas, if there is a complete interruption of supplies, this will not have a critical impact on Bulgaria, as the heating season is over, namely district heating is the largest consumer of gas in our country. Other major consumers are glass and chemical plants, which could use alternative fuels such as ammonia or temporarily reduce production. The activity of Lukoil Neftochim, which uses gas in oil refining, may be a problem, but the quantities in Chiren and the import of Azeri gas will ensure its activity.
At a special press conference this morning, Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov announced that there would be no restrictions on gas supplies and that the state had provided alternative supplies for at least a month. “This will give us time, together with the European Commission and partner countries, to find a more sustainable solution to the situation,” he said.
It was announced yesterday that Russia also suspends supplies to Poland, as reflected in the last hours of trading on gas exchanges, where prices rose by more than 10%. The rise continued this morning, as the Dutch TTF reached 114 euros / mWh. But as in Bulgaria, deliveries to Poland actually continue after a few hours break at night.
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