Within his visit to the United States of America, the Executive Director of Bulgartransgaz EAD, Mr Vladimir Malinov, met the President of Solar Turbines Inc., Mr Tom Pellette, and Mr Jack Plescia, Managing Director for Europe. Solar Turbines is one of the world’ leaders in the production of gas compressor units.
Mr Malinov noted that the modernised Bulgarian gas transmission network ensures the access to significant natural gas quantities from diverse sources, including liquefied natural gas for all countries in the region. The gas transmission infrastructure of the Bulgarian transmission operator uses a total of 17 US compressors produced by Solar Turbines that meet the highest operational and environmental standards. "Ten of the compressors have replaced some obsolete units within the project for the modernisation and rehabilitation of the Bulgarian gas transmission network. They have a key role in guaranteeing the reliability and flexibility of the network and the required natural gas transmission capacities", he underlined. Four more Solar Turbines compressors will be installed on Chiren UGS site within the project for the expansion of the underground gas storage facility, thus enabling the TSO to achieve the increase in the formation pressure required to double the capacity of the plant.
The meeting also saw the debate of issues associated with the maintenance of the equipment of the American company in connection with the projects that Bulgartransgaz develops in the hydrogen energy sector field.
Mr Malinov further met the Vice Presidents of Sempra Infrastructure, Mr Faisel H. Khan and Mr Carlos de la Vega, and Mr Steven Romero, Executive Officer for Business Development at ExxonMobil. Sempra Infrastructure and ExxonMobil are leading companies in the field of liquefied natural gas (LNG) technologies, production and trade.
The participants agreed that increasing the supply of LNG from reliable partners and at competitive prices is of key importance for the energy security of the countries of South East Europe. Mr Malinov indicated that Bulgartransgaz’s gas transmission network is highly interconnected with all neighbouring countries and secures the opportunity for significant LNG quantities to the markets in the region. "LNG infrastructure in the region develops rapidly. The project company Gastrade where Bulgartransgaz has a 20% shareholding, will commission the LNG terminal near Alexandroupolis as of the start of 2024", he reminded. Gastrade also envisages a second terminal in the region that again will have a regasification capacity of 5.5 bcm per annum.
We would like to note that Bulgartransgaz has already started its work regarding the expansion of the underground gas storage Chiren expansion of capacity and the construction of the interconnection Bulgaria - Serbia. The Company also works on two projects for the increase of the transmission capacities from Greece to Bulgaria and from Bulgaria to Romania under the RePowerEU Plan. "These projects in synergy with the new LNG terminals give the countries from the region the opportunity to guarantee their required quantities benefiting from the competitive advantages of the liquefied natural gas", Malinov highlighted.
