Bulgaria moves to increase gas imports from Azerbaijan

Bulgaria is in active negotiations with Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Energy to expand natural gas supplies, as imports from Azerbaijan now account for more than 60% of the country’s annual consumption, a senior Bulgarian official said.

Speaking during Baku Energy Week, Bulgaria’s Deputy Energy Minister Kirill Temelkov said the long-term contract between the two state companies ensures a substantial share of domestic gas needs.

“Under the long-term contract between the two state companies, Bulgaria secures a significant portion of natural gas supplies for domestic consumption in our country. The total volume of natural gas supplied to our country from Azerbaijan exceeds 60% of our annual consumption. At the same time, part of this volume is distributed to the markets of neighbouring countries, so Azerbaijan is a reliable and important partner both for Bulgaria and for our neighbouring countries,” Temelkov said.

He added that Bulgaria is “precisely for this reason” engaged in ongoing talks with Azerbaijan’s Energy Ministry aimed at scaling up cooperation.

During his visit to Baku, Temelkov also met representatives of Azerbaijan’s leading carrier, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR).

“The negotiations focused on deepening regional cooperation and on opportunities for implementing joint projects of mutual interest,” according to an official statement.

Azerbaijan currently supplies gas to Bulgaria through the Southern Gas Corridor and the Greece–Bulgaria interconnector, key infrastructure routes linking Caspian resources to European markets.

The initial 25-year agreement signed in 2013 предусмотрено поставку 1 billion cubic metres annually. However, in response to the energy crisis and increasing demand in Bulgaria, volumes have steadily risen, reaching 1.896 billion cubic metres in 2024 and 1.931 billion cubic metres in 2025.

By Tamilla Hasanova