These are early days, but interest from energy majors in Bulgaria’s offshore gas potential is raising hopes that the country can reduce its dependency on Russian imports.
ExxonMobil of the US, Total of France and Melrose Resources of the UK have submitted bids for the 15,000 sq km Khan Asparuh field in the Black Sea near the maritime border with Romania. A five-year exploration permit should be awarded in coming days and, if deposits are found, extraction could start in three to four years.
Exxon and OMV of Austria recently found natural gas deposits of 40bn to 80bn cubic metres in a field on the Romanian side of the border. Delyan Dobrev, Bulgaria’s energy minister, said a similar discovery at Khan Asparuh would cover domestic gas needs for up to twenty years.
Thanks for this. Been trying to find an article on the gas situation for a while now.
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