In 2022, when Gazprom stopped supplies to Bulgaria, the country switched at short notice from nearly full dependence on Russian gas to complete diversification. It commissioned a new interconnector with Greece, tapped LNG imports and ramped up off-takes of Caspian gas. More recently it signed a deal for access to Turkey’s infrastructure, which could open up a new supply route to southeast Europe.

However, Luka Dimitrov, senior energy journalist focusing on southeast Europe tells regional gas market specialist Aura Sabadus that the political instability combined with a number of controversial measures taken in recent weeks raise concerns about the future of Bulgaria’s energy sector and that of the entire region.