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By Nigar Abbasova

The Southern Gas Corridor, the gas pipe project aimed at improving the security and diversity of the EU’s energy map, may involve new routes.

PR Specialist at Slovakia’s Eustream Company Pavol Kubik told Trend that there is significant potential for the delivery of gas via the SGC to Europe through the Eastring gas pipeline.

Kubic said that the Eastring project will be open for every source on the non-discriminatory basis in full compliance with EU legislation as it is not linked to any supplier, underlining that this creates a significant potential for the Caspian region and Southern Gas Corridor route.

Bulgarian and Slovak natural gas transmission system operators Bulgartransgaz and Eustream signed a MoU on November 4 on the cooperation to improve security of natural gas deliveries in Central and Southeastern Europe and the implementation of gas infrastructure projects, namely Balkan Gas Hub and Eastring gas pipeline.

Eastring, which has obtained status of the Project of Common Interest (PCI) for the European Union, will be ready for future gas imports to Europe from well-established, alternative sources - the Caspian Sea region and the Middle East.

Commenting on the link between Balkan gas hub and Eastring project, Kubic said that the common aim of both projects is to provide European customers with transparent and non-discriminatory access to a wide range of supply sources and therefore both companies recognized synergies of the projects.

He added that the Eastring pipeline will serve as a priority western route for the interconnection of the regional markets and the Balkan Gas Hub (the new gas hub needs to be connected to sufficient infrastructure).

The issue of energy security bears pivotal importance for Europe and raises certain concerns, as the energy dependence leaves the countries vulnerable to supply disruptions.

The EU imports more than half of all the energy it consumes. The dependency is particularly high for crude oil (more than 90 percent) and natural gas (some 66 percent), while many countries are heavily dependent on a single supplier. Energy Security Strategy of the EC aims to address the concerns and ensure a stable and abundant supply of energy

Eastring is expected to connect Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia, taking gas in either direction, while the planned capacity stands at some 20–40 bcm, the volume which is fully sufficient to meet the demand of the countries.

Eastring will offer direct and cost-effective transportation route between the Balkans and the rest of Europe, as well as enhance the security of supply.

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Nigar Abbasova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @nigyar_abbasova

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