site.btaBulgartransgaz Reports Increased Market Interest in Bulgaria - Romania Exit Capacity

In line with the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG) auction calendar, Bulgartransgaz held auctions for firm annual capacity product at the interconnection points with neighbouring countries on the Regional Booking Platform. In the framework of the procedure, customers have booked firm annual capacity at all entry-exit points with Greece, Romania, Serbia, Turkiye and North Macedonia for a total value of more than BGN 70 million, the company said on Tuesday.

Twenty-one Bulgarian and international companies participated in the tender. The biggest interest was in the exit point Kardam - Negru Voda in the direction from Bulgaria to Romania. The booked capacity at the point for gas year 2025-2026 is 99,398 megawatt hours per day (MWh/d), which represents more than 70% of the offer (just over 140,000 MWh/d). This compares to 44,710 MWh/d for 2024-2025 and 34,800 MWh/d for 2023-2024 for the value of annual capacity booked in this direction.

“The increased interest in transporting quantities of natural gas from Bulgaria to Romania is a sign of the continuing need to transport significant quantities of natural gas from south to north. The successful tender confirms once again the confidence of the customers in the work of the Bulgarian gas transmission operator, as well as the key importance of the infrastructure for the diversification of supplies and the development of the gas market in the region,” Bulgartransgaz CEO Vladimir Malinov was quoted as saying by the company's press centre.

The results of the procedure once again justify the necessity to implement the Vertical Corridor. The strategic project will allow the transmission of additional quantities of natural gas from reliable sources through the gas transmission systems of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, Moldova and Slovakia. The extension of the existing networks will ensure the security and diversification of gas supplies to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the announcement added.

On March 14, the National Assembly adopted a decision on the Vertical Corridor initiative of the gas transmission operators of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Ukraine and Moldova, providing the opportunity to transport additional volumes of natural gas from diverse and reliable sources in a south-north direction.