In mid-September the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector (IGB) will receive Act 15 and Act 16 and on October 1 natural gas will flow through the pipeline, connecting Stara Zagora and Komotini.

This was announced by Energy Minister Rosen Hristov to Bulgarian journalists today, after he inspected the section of the interconnector near the village of Stambolovo, Haskovo region. He said the government would also start negotiations with Azerbaijani and Turkish gas suppliers "as a priority". 

"If necessary, negotiations with Gazprom will be resumed, too" the minister informed, adding that the cabinet would discuss the payment method under the existing contract. "If we decide to do so, the most likely scenario is to ask for restarting supplies under the existing contract. A new contract - I don't see any point in starting the negotiations all over again," Rosen Hristov said.