Bulgaria’s gas link with Greece not completed yet, when will supplies via the interconnector start?

The gas connection with Greece is not yet ready for use, said caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Hristo Alexiev and caretaker Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Ivan Shishkov, on August 10. The two made an on-site inspection of the work on the Greece-Bulgaria gas interconnector.

"This site looks like a luxury building with furniture, but there is no electricity and the environment around it is not finished," Shishkov added.

Hristo Alexiev pointed out that everything possible is being done to have the interconnector ready for use before the start of the heating season.

"We are working round the clock to complete all the activities to finish the site. We have looked at the critical and problematic locations, we have identified solutions, the builder needs to prepare a schedule. The whole state will provide all support and is mobilized to help the builder complete the site," Alexiev said.

The other priority of the authorities is the financial stabilisation of public supplier “Bulgargaz”. According to the caretaker deputy prime minister, the company has a shortage of at least one billion.

"Nobody has taken care to provide Bulgargaz with money to send the supplies - from wherever they are, whether Azeri gas or gas from Gazprom," Alexiev said.

Tomorrow results will be announced on the financial stabilisation of the public supplier, he added. Hristo Alexiev also said that it is not true that 7 tankers with blue fuel have been secured. According to him, we are talking about three tankers which are not fully secured.

The Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Shishkov explained that the inspections on the progress of the construction of the interconnector will continue every day. Arrangements have been made for the State National Construction Inspectorate and the Construction Supervision Authority to adjudicate on all completed stages of construction while the next stages are underway so that no time is wasted in inspections.

The construction of the Greece-Bulgaria gas link will be inspected every day

Their tour started at the Stara Zagora gas metering station, after which the two visited Crane Node 6, located near the village of Trakia, as well as the Irrigation Systems canal and dispatch centre in the village of Stamboliyski.