2024-09-06 22:52:32
According to Minister Vladimir Malinov, the countries of Southeast Europe should develop a joint energy project to raise to a strategic level with partners from the USA.
We expect the liquefied natural gas terminal in Alexandroupolis to be put into commercial operation on October 1st. This was announced by the Acting Minister of Energy, Vladimir Malinov, during his participation in the eighth edition of the “Energy Forum for Southeast Europe”.
The minister pointed to the terminal as an excellent example of successful cooperation between countries in the region, thanks to which energy security will be guaranteed. As other good examples in this field, he pointed to the Vertical Gas Corridor and the project to connect the energy system of Europe and North Africa, BTA claims.
According to Malinov, the countries of the region should develop a joint project to raise to a strategic level with partners from the USA.
“In cooperation and coordination, the countries of the Southeast Europe region will achieve their goal of energy security. Our joint work on energy connectivity, diversification, increasing the share of clean energy and achieving climate neutrality will contribute to the development of the region,” said the Minister of Energy .
However, he insisted that increasing the share of green energy should preserve the competitiveness of the economies in the region. “In cooperation with all countries, we must build the necessary electricity network to ensure access to energy at affordable prices for businesses and consumers,” he emphasized. Malinov noted that currently there are serious differences in electricity prices between the regions of Southeast Europe and Central and Western Europe.
According to him, cooperation with partners from the USA also contributes to energy security in the region. “In Bulgaria, thanks to our joint work with the USA, the fuel for the 5th unit of the Kozloduy NPP has already been diversified after it was successfully put into operation in May,” said the caretaker minister.
Acting Minister of Energy Vladimir Malinov participated in two energy forums held in Thessaloniki.
The Energy Forum takes place in Thessaloniki and is organized by the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Atlantic Council. Minister Malinov participated in a round table on the topic “Energy cooperation in South-East Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean region: A turning point for EU energy security” together with his colleagues – the Minister of Environment and Energy of Greece – Theodoros Skilakakis, the Minister of Energy of Romania Sebastian Burduja and others.
On September 8, he will take part in the “Energy Future Dialogue for Europe in the Middle East and North Africa (MEFED) – focus on energy infrastructure”. The event will be hosted by Theodoros Skilakakis, Minister of Environment and Energy of the Hellenic Republic, and Dr. Robert Habeck, Federal Minister of Economics and Climate Action of the Federal Republic of Germany.The program focuses on the development of interregional energy infrastructure to accelerate the energy transition.
In mid-August, during a visit to Greece, Malinov already announced the launch of the terminal. The project is of strategic importance, as it will provide an important corridor for the supply of liquefied natural gas from alternative sources for the entire region, the Ministry of Energy pointed out at the time. The Bulgarian gas transmission operator Bulgartransgaz is a shareholder in the project with 20 percent.