site.btaEnergy Minister: Bulgaria Secures Strong Financial Backing for Vertical Gas Corridor After Final Eurozone Accession Approval

International financial institutions are ready to provide funding eight times greater than what is actually needed for the construction of the Vertical Gas Corridor, Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov said, speaking to journalists in Rome, where he is part of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s delegation to a high-level Ukraine Recovery Conference. Stankov attributed the surge in investor interest to the recent EU Council decision confirming Bulgaria’s accession to the eurozone starting January 1, 2026.

“This is a direct monetization of the positive impact of the Brussels announcement,” said Stankov. He revealed that earlier this week, following the official confirmation of Bulgaria's irreversible path toward eurozone membership, the Ministry of Energy initiated a selection procedure for financial institutions to support the gas corridor project. Bulgaria is the first country actively developing this energy infrastructure, he noted.

Stankov emphasized that the funding offers received not only exceed Bulgaria’s needs by a factor of eight but also come with interest rates below 2%, significantly better than initially expected. “Because the financing is backed by a state guarantee, this demonstrates the level of trust financial institutions have in Bulgaria’s stability and in our energy sector,” he added. He also referenced the successful bond issuance from several weeks ago as further evidence of investor confidence.

Earlier this week, on July 8, Minister Stankov oversaw the arrival of 2,526 pipes at the Port of Burgas—part of the second shipment for the Vertical Gas Corridor. The first delivery was received in late March, with some of those pipes already installed along the Kulata-Kresna section of the route.

The Vertical Gas Corridor is a strategic infrastructure project designed to strengthen energy security and diversify natural gas supply routes across Southeast Europe.