Bulgaria, Romania, Greece Commit to Build Vertical Gas Link

Bulgaria, Romania and Greece have committed to develop a vertical gas corridor, connecting the three countries, the Greek environment ministry said.

Following the signing on Tuesday of a joint statement for the implementation of the project, experts from the three countries will start discussions immediately on the regulatory and technical aspects regarding the realization of the so called Southern Corridor, the ministry said in a statement.

The three counties stressed that their cooperation is open to other member states of the European Union and the Energy Community with a view to strengthening the Southern Corridor and enabling the cross-regional flow of gas.

The project will aim to ensure "uninterrupted bidirectional supplies, while promoting the EU’s priority corridor North South and Southern Corridor, through the swift realization of the projects of common interest and by overcoming the missing links necessary for the completion of an interconnected internal market with the financial support of European institutions," the statement said.

Securing alternative gas routes has come into sharper focus for the countries in Southeast Europe after Russia announced last week it had abandoned plans to build the South Stream gas pipeline.

The South Stream, spearheaded by Gazprom, was planned to carry gas from Russia to central and southern Europe via Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia.

Bulgaria imports almost all the natural gas it needs from Russia through a pipeline crossing the territories of Ukraine, Moldova and Romania.

Source: SeeNews