Landing point: the proposed South Stream gas pipeline will transit the Black Sea
Sofia jockeys for Russian pipe
Russia and Bulgaria may sign a deal to support a gas pipeline project from Russia to Europe under the Black Sea in January during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Sofia, Bulgarian minister Energy Minister Petar said today.
"We hope the preparation of an inter-governmental agreement for the South Stream project will coincide with the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin in January to Bulgaria," Reuters reported Dimitrov said in a statement.
The statement followed talks in Moscow between Dimitrov and Russian Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko.
"Bulgaria is interested in building the pipeline, which will increase our income from transit fees and guarantee gas supplies to Europe," Dimitrov said.
The project, known as South Stream, was designed by Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom and Italian energy firm Eni and is viewed as a rival project to the plans of Azerbaijan to ship gas to Europe via Turkey and Bulgaria.
The 900-kilometre South Stream pipeline would come ashore in Bulgaria and then branch to Austria and Slovenia in one spur and southern Italy in another.
The pipeline would pump around 30 billion cubic metres a year and would also supply Greece and Bulgaria.
Yesterday, Italian Industry Minister Pierluigi Bersani said in Sofia that Rome was ready to back an inter-governmental procedure for the pipeline and noted that it should include the EU.