The Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov, European Commission representatives and members of government of the two countries opened a new Bulgarian-Romanian intersystem gas pipeline. The official ceremony took place on November 11 near the town of Rousse.
“Thank you all for the successful implementation of this complex project. With God’s help, with the European Commission backing us, and with our friends and neighbors from Romania, we were able to succeed,” said the Bulgarian Prime Minister. He noted that in the foreseeable future pipelines will be built to Greece, Turkey and Serbia, which will provide an opportunity for diversification of supply and the development of the gas market.
“It is unacceptable that the region depended on a single source of gas. If the gas comes from the east, then why can it not come from the west? said the representative of the energy department of the European Commission Klaus-Dieter Borchard. He promised to Bulgaria and Romania the financial assistance in the implementation of new gas projects, including the project of construction of the gas distribution center Balkan.
The length of the gas interconnector is 25 km, of which 15.4 km are on Bulgarian territory, 7.5 km – on the Romanian territory and 2.1 kilometers are the underwater crossing of the Danube, the main and reserve gas pipelines, construction of which is carried out by the Austrian Habau PPS Pipeline Systems SRL. It is expected that the new interconnector for 8.9 million euros will start in early 2017, when the construction of the compressor station is completed in Romania.
One of the requirements of the European Union on the establishment of the energy systems interconnector between the two countries will be carried out with the launch of the gas pipeline into operation. The integration of the regional natural gas market in South East Europe will increase, according to TASS.
