Home » World » VZGLYAD / Expert: Gazprom made the penultimate step for gas transit bypassing Ukraine :: Daily News

VZGLYAD / Expert: Gazprom made the penultimate step for gas transit bypassing Ukraine :: Daily News

“The implementation of the Balkan Stream project is another step towards the possibility of delivering gas to Europe bypassing Ukraine,” energy expert Igor Yushkov told VZGLYAD newspaper. So he commented on the message about the completion of construction and readiness to launch the Balkan Stream gas pipeline.

“The completion of the construction of the Balkan Stream means the completion of the next stage of Gazprom’s strategy, in which it wants to bypass Ukraine and be able to choose a route for gas delivery to Europe. The final point will be set with the completion of Nord Stream 2, ”said Igor Yushkov, a leading expert of the National Energy Security Fund.

According to the expert, now “in fact, another section of the second string of the Turkish Stream has been completed. “The gas pipeline from Turkey to Bulgaria was ready last year. Now we have completed the construction of a bridge through which gas will flow from Bulgaria to Serbia, and from there to Hungary and further to Austria, ”the source explained.

“For Bulgaria, the Balkan Stream is a completely reliable gas delivery route. This gives the country two routes for the supply of Russian fuel. Sofia can still receive gas in transit through Ukraine, Moldova and Romania, and through Turkey, ”Yushkov said.

The expert recalled that Bulgaria for a long time “bit its elbows, regretting that it had succumbed to pressure from the United States and canceled the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline in 2014.” This project would allow Bulgaria to transit about 60 billion cubic meters of gas.

“The country would receive money for laying a pipe on its territory, as well as a discount on gas purchased in Russia. In addition, Bulgaria would acquire special geopolitical significance as a major transit country for Russian gas to Europe, ”the source explained.

In the current situation, added Yushkov, Bulgarians will not receive such bonuses. “Bulgaria does not have a significant discount on gas, instead it has a quite market price. The significance of the transit country is also being lost, because the volume of gas that passes through them will be cut four times, ”the source said.

The expert believes that already in the first half of the coming year, Balkan Stream can be loaded at full capacity. “From January 1, Gazprom’s obligations to pump gas through Ukraine have been declining, and if Nord Stream 2 is launched, it will be only in the second half of the year. Therefore, in the first half of the year, the bulk of the volume can be transferred to the “Balkan Stream”, – said the source.

Speaking about the competition in the Balkans, Yushkov mentioned the Azerbaijani TANAP gas pipeline. “We will start competing with Azerbaijani gas in four markets. Gazprom’s supplies have already sagged in Turkey, including because of a competitor in the person of Azerbaijan. We also compete in Bulgaria and Greece. And soon they must complete the construction of a gas pipeline through Albania to Italy. Then we will have competition in the gas market with Azerbaijan also in the Apennines, ”Yushkov concluded.

On the eve it became known about completion construction of the Balkan Stream gas pipeline. According to the Bulgarian newspaper “Labor”, now the gas pipeline is being accepted by the state commission, after which Balkan Stream will receive a permit for operation.

The Balkan Stream is an extension of the Turkish Stream gas pipeline through Bulgaria. The official documents indicate that this is an object of “expansion of the gas transportation infrastructure of the Bulgartransgaz company in parallel with the northern main gas pipeline to the Bulgarian-Serbian border.”

Earlier, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia let gas via Balkan Stream (continuation of Turkish Stream) on December 29 or 30.

In October 2020, Vucic promised to fully to complete construction of a gas pipeline from the Bulgarian border to the Hungarian border by the end of the year. Construction of the Serbian section of the Turkish Stream started in March 2019.

Turkish Stream, the launch of which took place January 8, 2020, runs along the bottom of the Black Sea from the territory of Russia to the coast of Turkey. Further, there is an overland transit line to the border with neighboring countries, from where gas is exported to Greece, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia. Later, after the completion of the construction of the entire infrastructure, gas will go to Serbia and Hungary.

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