Bulgaria Suspends South Stream Pipeline
Posted: 06/10/2014 10:06:12 Edited: 06/09/2014 10:06:45 Clicks: 973
On June 8, Plamen Oresharski, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria announced that construction of South Stream pipeline had been suspended in Bulgaria. The program would not be continued until eliminating doubts of EU about laws. Bulgaria showed that program would not be stopped.
In early June, EU sent a letter Bulgarian government for doubts about the contract of South Stream pipeline between Bulgaria and Russia and bid of contractors. EU requests Bulgaria to suspend South Stream pipeline and give answers within one month, or else EU will submit punishment to Bulgaria to European Court.
Dragomir Stoynev, the Minister of Economy and Energy says that Bulgaria has prepared initial answers for doubts of EU. Next, Bulgaria will consider about solution.
In 2007, Russian Gazprom Alexander Medvedev and Italian energy company Eni Paolo Scaroni announced South Stream pipeline to build a new gas pipeline so that can supply to Western Europe directly without passing through Ukraine.
South Stream is a planned gas pipeline to transport Russian natural gas through the Black Sea to Bulgaria and further to Greece, Italy and Austria. The project is seen as rival to the planned Nabucco pipeline, which was ultimately abandoned after Azerbaijan opted for the Trans Adriatic Pipeline. Construction started in December 2012. The preliminary agreement between Russia and Bulgaria on Bulgaria's participation in the project was signed on 18 January 2008. It was agreed to set up an equally owned company to build and operate the Bulgarian section of the pipeline. The agreement was ratified by Bulgarian Parliament on 25 July 2008.
