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The Southern Gas Corridor is of strategic importance for the EU and especially for Bulgaria and South East Europe, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev told reporters April 28 in the sidelines of the 3rd Baku Global Shared Societies Forum in Baku.

“We are very grateful [to Azerbaijan] about this visionary project,” he said, noting that the Southern Gas Corridor will reduce dependence of Europe from one gas supplier, he said.

The president went on to add that Bulgaria will build its interconnector to TAP gas pipeline, which will transport Azerbaijani gas to Europe.

“So, Bulgaria will get gas from Azerbaijan,” Plevneliev said. “We have a contract about buying more than one billion cubic meters of gas per year from SOCAR. We wish to activate this contract as soon as possible.”

The president further noted that purchasing Azerbaijani gas is a part of Bulgaria’s national security policy.

“If you are diversified, if you have more than one source of energy, then you can sleep tight,” Plevneliev said. “Then you can be competitive. Then you can have factories, companies and investments. We are grateful that we are a part of the Southern Gas Corridor.”

The Southern Gas Corridor project envisages transportation of gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe. This large project aims at diversifying the routes and sources of energy supply that will enhance the energy security of Europe. The Southern Gas Corridor project will ensure Caspian gas supply to the European markets for the first time in history.

At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the second phase of development of Azerbaijani gas condensate Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor project. At a later stage, other sources may join the project.

The gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of the field's development will be exported to Turkey and to the European markets by means of expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and construction of the Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). Around six billion cubic meters of the total volume of gas within the Shah Deniz-2 project will be delivered to Turkey and 10 billion cubic meters to Europe per year.

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