Brussels, 19/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - Shareholders of the new gas pipeline between Italy and Russia, South Stream, in Bulgaria want to keep control of 70% of the network themselves and restrict access to third parties.
The Bulgarian energy minister, Traicho Traikov, says that Bulgarian energy company Bulgarian Energy Holding and Russian giant Gazprom, each of which owns 50% of the joint venture carrying out research, building and then running the Bulgarian section of the South Stream gas pipeline to avoid Ukraine in the transport of Russian gas to Western Europe, will ask the EU for permission to control up to 70% of the pipeline themselves, restricting access to other operators. He explained on 16 November that the Bulgarian-Russian consortium would ask the European Commission for exemption from the liberalised energy market rule that there should be no discrimination against third parties for accessing a grid. He said the European Commission would be asked for permission for the owners to reserve 50%, 60% or 70% of the gas pipeline capacity for themselves, with liberalisation applying to the rest.
Piloted by Gazprom and Italy's ENI, South Stream will have annual capacity of 63 billion cubic metres. The Bulgarian section is expected to be brought on stream at the end of 2015, and become fully operational by 2018. (E.H./transl.fl)