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North Macedonia, Bosnia and Moldova

most dependent on Russian gas

BALKANS NORTH Macedonia, Bosnia & Herzegovina pipelines.
and Moldova are the most dependent on Rus- “Some smaller European countries rely exclu-
North Macedonia’s sian gas among European countries, data of the sively on Russian gas, namely North Macedonia,
reliance is 100%. European Union Agency for the Cooperation of Bosnia & Herzegovina and Moldova,” ACER said
Energy Regulators (ACER) showed. last week.
The US and the EU are currently working Dependence was 89% in Serbia and 77% in
on a strategy to replace natural gas supplies to Bulgaria, according to ACER’s 2020 or latest
Europe if Russia “turns off the tap” as a result of available data.
the standoff with Western powers over Ukraine. Slovenia’s reliance on Russian gas is 51%.
Qatar has said that it sees no way that it could North Macedonia plans soon to launch
replace the needed amount by itself. the construction of a gas interconnector with
Thus, if new sanctions are imposed on Rus- Greece, a project of strategic significance for the
sian President Vladimir Putin personally or on country as it will enhance the energy security by
his country, it could cause an energy crisis on diversifying gas supply sources.
the continent due to the dependence of much Russian gas supplies are arriving to North
of Europe on Russian gas coming to Europe via Macedonia via Bulgaria.™

Bulgaria probes Bulgargaz gas deals

BULGARIA BULGARIA’S energy regulator, KEVR, said on Holding (BEH), which manages the state-owned
February 7 it has launched a probe into the bourse energy companies, over its decisions related to
The deals were made at deals of state-owned gas supplier Bulgargaz car- the purchase of additional amounts of cheaper
the gas bourse. ried out last week over suspicion that a ban on the natural gas from Azerbaijan.
use of internal information has been abused. Petkov said on January 31 that the manage-
Few days earlier, former energy minister ment was dismissed after the authorities found
Rumen Ovcharov said that Bulgargaz had sold out 1bn cubic metres of gas could have been
on the bourse 60,000 MWh of natural gas using imported from Azerbaijan even though Bulgar-
internal information. The same accusation was ia’s gas link with Greece has not been completed
the reason for the replacement of Bulgargaz’s yet.
former management in January. The difference between prices of the natural
Bulgargaz responded to Ovcharov’s accu- gas sold by Azerbaijan and Bulgaria’s main sup-
sations with a statement on February 5, saying plier Gazprom is “so huge that giving up [any]
that it has sold 37,400 MWh on February 4, not amounts with any excuse, which then turns out
60,000 MWh as Ovcharov had claimed. to be invalid, damages Bulgargaz and consum-
However, according to Mediapool news out- ers”, Petkov has said.
let, Bulgargaz has indeed sold 60,000 MWh. It He has also said that the hike of the natural
quoted Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov as gas price in Bulgaria since the beginning of the
saying that the sold gas was from the imbalance year was to a large extent due to the decisions of
caused by the warmer weather. Bulgargaz’s former management.
Ovcharov claims the deals seem to have been Bulgarian Energy Minister Aleksandar
previously agreed between the buyers and Bul- Nikolov accused Bulgargaz earlier in January
gargaz, suggesting there was a trade with internal of failing to import 1 bcm of natural gas from
information, which was in violation of the regula- Azerbaijan at a lower price than the gas it buys
tions, and that KEVR will probe these allegations. from Russia’s Gazprom. Nikolov even suggested
KEVR will probe all deals on the gas market that by amending contracts with Azerbaijan
between January 1 and January 7. Gas Supply Company (AGSC), Bulgargaz made
Meanwhile, the former head of Bulgargaz, imports from Azerbaijan impossible. Instead,
Nikolai Pavlov, was interrogated on February Bulgargas was importing more expensive natu-
7 over alleged abuse of office. The interrogation ral gas from Gazprom.
came following information by Prime Minister According to the contract between Bulgargaz
Kiril Petkov and Interior Minister Boyko Rash- and AGSC, the Greece-Bulgaria gas link is one
kov that the former management of Bulgargaz is of the ways to deliver gas from Azerbaijan. The
responsible for the high gas prices in the country. completion of the gas link has been delayed, but
On January 28, the whole management Nikolov claims that Bulgargaz was still able to
of Bulgargaz was fired by Bulgarian Energy import the full amount agreed with AGSC. ™

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