Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

The deal with Botaş ‘decapitalises’ state-owned supplier Bulgartransgaz, Bulgaria’s energy minister said

Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov
Photo: BTA

Bulgaria’s state gas supplier Bulgartransgaz has been “decapitalised” by a contract with Turkish company Botaş, Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov warned on Thursday, saying the deal could also threaten gas supplies to local district heating companies.


Stankov said Bulgartransgaz’s market share in Bulgaria has fallen to around 50% over the past four years. He described the agreement with Botaş as putting Bulgaria and its state-owned company at a disadvantage and endangering the country’s energy sector.


“By 2021, the company was stable. Now it has been brought to its knees,” the Minister added.

The 13-year contract, he said, effectively “concedes the company’s profits for the next 200 years to the Turkish gas operator,” noting that the deal contains no termination clause and increases the financial burden on the state. Stankov called on President Rumen Radev to help renegotiate it.


The contract was signed in January 2023 by the then energy minister, Rosen Hristov, and the Turkish energy minister, Fatih Dönmez.



Editor: Miglena Ivanova
Posted in English by E. Radkova



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

BNB decreases base interest rate by 0.01%, Bulgaria's gross external debt rises

As of October 1, the base interest rate in Bulgaria is 1.81%. The rate has been declining for the 12th consecutive month, this time by 0.01% compared to September 2025. The base interest rate in Bulgaria, which is used to calculate the annual..

published on 10/1/25 10:46 AM

U.S. State Department report analyzes the Bulgarian economy

Bulgaria’s accession to the eurozone will reduce transaction costs with key trade and investment partners, according to the annual U.S. State Department report on the investment climate in the country, reported BGNES. The report emphasizes that..

published on 10/1/25 10:11 AM

Bulgaria sees higher demand than supply of jobs

Less than 100 days remain until Bulgaria joins the eurozone, and this is another reason to talk about the incomes of people in Bulgaria, about the Bulgarian economy, about foreign investments and about the domestic labour market which reacts the..

published on 9/30/25 12:26 PM