Press release
The gas transmission operators of Bulgaria and Slovakia Bulgartransgaz and Eustream will cooperate in the study of the possibilities to build the project Eastring on the territories of their countries. This is laid down in the Memorandum of Understanding between the two Parties, singed in the margins of Gas Infrastructure Europe Annual Conference 2016, hosted is Sofia. The signing of the Memorandum was attended by the Minister of Energy of Bulgaria Temenuzhka Petkova and the Minister of Economy of Slovakia Peter Ziga. In his words the Eastring project fully complies with the principles of the European Energy Union intended to the diversification of natural gas supply sources and routes. The project represents a logical step towards the establishment of a regional gas hub, he added. "The Eastring gas pipeline could be realized at minimum costs, since it will use the existing infrastructure", Minister Petkova said.
The documents reads that both Parties will cooperate in the analysis of gas markets development perspectives that must identify the expected demand of capacity for the Eastring gas pipeline. It provides for the Parties to work in concert to also include the project in the European Commission’s future list of projects of common interest. Bulgartransgaz EAD and Eastring commit to support and present the project at the highest EU level to ensure the maximum support of the EC for its funding.
The two Parties agreed on the joint efforts for the realization of the project Eastring bearing in mind that it can play a key role for the creation of the Southern corridor, as defined in the European Energy Security Strategy. The project’s role in facilitating the expected gas flows from new sources and new routes on the external border of the EU on the territory of Bulgaria is also acknowledged. In that context the intention of our country to build a gas distribution hub is highly appreciated. The two Parties highlight in the Memorandum that Eastring is a project that strengthens the regional cooperation in the field of the development and integration of energy networks, thus contributing to the security of supply and the cross-border gas trade.
Similar bilateral agreements are expected to be signed with the other project promoters as well.
Eastring is a project linking the gas transmission systems of Slovakia, the Check Republic, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. A corridor will thus be constructed for the efficient transmission for the diversification of the sources and routes of natural gas in the region.
