Turkey and Bulgaria officially launched the Lozenets-Nedyalsko natural gas pipeline on Friday. The opening ceremony was held with the attendance of Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez and Bulgaria's Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova.
The new Lozenets-Nedyalsko 20-kilometer pipeline will increase the current Trans-Balkan pipeline's capacity from 14 billion cubic meters to 15.7 billion cubic meters.
Donmez commented that the realization of the new pipeline was as a result of the trust and durable relationship between Turkey and Bulgaria.
He said the new pipeline would continue the 30-year-long bilateral gas trade between Turkey and Bulgaria in which Turkey has received natural gas through Bulgaria.
The Turkish Minister noted the pipeline would also enable reverse flow gas transmission from Turkey to Bulgaria with the possibility of Bulgaria receiving Russian gas through the
TurkStream's second line, with a transfer capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters of natural gas per annum, aims to transfer gas to Europe via Turkey.
Russia is currently negotiating plans for TurkStream's second line with Greece and Bulgaria.
"Our energy diplomacy is based on a win-win understanding, global peace and stability," Donmez said, who hailed the existing Turkish pipeline infrastructure at a length of 15,000 kilometers, as sufficient to meet the region's gas demand.
(Anadolu Agency)
