site.btaEnergy Minister, Romanian Ambassador Discuss Energy and Transport Connectivity

Caretaker Energy Minister Traicho Traikov called for prioritizing options for reverse natural gas deliveries to Bulgaria, in view of the expected production of up to 8 billion cubic meters annually from the Black Sea, at a meeting with Romania’s Ambassador to Bulgaria Brandusa Predescu. Traikov expressed hope that the blocks Bulgaria has licensed for exploration will yield positive results, the Energy Ministry’s press office said on Tuesday.

Bulgaria is making progress on expanding its gas transmission network along the Rupcha–Vetrino route, part of the Vertical Gas Corridor. This will increase transmission capacity from 5 to 10 billion cubic meters per year in the south-to-north direction. Commercial operations along the corridor are expected to begin in October 2026. At the same time, regulatory measures are being finalized to help ensure more competitive pricing for future supplies.

At the end of March, operators involved in the Vertical Gas Corridor reached an agreement with the European Commission on establishing a long-term solution to guarantee reliable gas supplies for Southeast Europe.

Bulgaria has taken a strategic initiative by hosting meetings in Sofia between the Central and South-Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity (CESEC) coordinator, US partners and regulators, which have helped drive more competitive tariffs and more efficient capacity platform operations, Traikov noted.

The talks covered initiatives related to the Azerbaijan–Georgia–Romania submarine electricity cable, as well as the possibility of Bulgaria joining the project under certain conditions. The Romanian side expressed readiness to support the process. The parties discussed the Azerbaijan–Georgia–Turkiye–Bulgaria green energy corridor, whose main principles have already been coordinated.

The construction of a third bridge over the Danube River and the development of a motorway project linking Greece and Romania via Bulgaria were also on the agenda of the meeting. Bulgaria expects accelerated progress on the new rail and road bridge across the Danube, as well as on the 15-kilometer access links on both sides in Bulgaria and Romania, for which EU funding has been secured. Repeated suspensions of the procedure by Romania’s National Road Infrastructure Administration Company have caused delays, reportedly due to the need to provide clarifications requested by participating companies regarding public procurement tenders.

A contractor for the pre-feasibility study of another infrastructure project of mutual interest, the Veliko Tarnovo section toward the Maritsa Motorway, is expected to be selected soon, Traikov added. In a broader regional context, if the Alexandroupolis–Constanta motorway is extended to the Ukrainian border, this section could become part of a key route for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, he said.