site.btaOctober Natgas Price to Be Under BGN 240/MWh - Regulator

The price of natural gas will be less than BGN 240/KWh, Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) Chairman Ivan Ivanov told journalists on Friday. He also announced EWRC has adopted the last decisions completing the regulatory participation in the construction of the Bulgarian-Greek Komotini-Stara Zagora – IGB gas interconnector. On Saturday afternoon, EWRC will adopt the final pricing decision for October, Ivanov added. 

The regulator endorsed a price of BGN 353.21/MWH for September 2022 (exclusive of access, transmission, excise duty and VAT charges). This means that the price for October will be over 32% lower than the present.

The lower price for the following month is mainly due to putting the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector into commercial operation on Saturday, Ivanov said. This allows 1.0 billion cu m of natural gas, or one-third of Bulgaria’s consumption, to be delivered at "very good and attractive prices" negotiated under an agreement with Azerbaijan.

First steps for using the interconnector capacity further afield in the entire region of Southeastern Europe have already been taken, Ivanov added. The facility’s capacity is 3.0 billion cu m annually, 1.570 billion cu m of which have been booked. The remaining 1.430 billion cu m will be provided to other natural gas transmission companies, probably in the direction of Romania, Hungary and Slovakia, he specified.