site.btaBulgaria, North Macedonia Consider Possibilities for Joint Energy Projects

The construction of a new gas interconnector Petrich-Strumica and the possibility for the Republic of North Macedonia to use the gas storage in Chiren were among the topics discussed on Friday by the interdepartmental working group on infrastructure, transport and energy, said Bulgarian Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov and North Macedonia’s Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi.

The construction of the Petrich-Strumica interconnector has already attracted interest of companies in building its infrastructure, said Minister Nikolov at a joint press conference. "This infrastructure is so important that at the corporate level, without the assistance of a state institution, there is a declared interest in Bulgaria for its construction. The region of Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Greece is becoming so critical that the existence of new routes is already market-based," he added.

"We agreed that Bulgartransgaz will facilitate talks on the possibility for North Macedonia to use Bulgaria's gas storage facilities. A meeting of the companies is expected to be held in early April," Minister Bekteshi said.

According to the two ministers, the working meeting covered extensively possibilities for the realization of various energy projects.

"We are connected not only on the energy map, in trade, and historically, but also in our orientation towards Europe. In difficult times, we can see who the real friend is, and we are obliged to work to secure markets and projects of common interest," said Minister Nikolov.