Bulgaria's ministry of regional development and public works has called a tender for works necessary for the implementation of the Bulgarian sector of Gazprom's cancelled South Stream natural gas pipeline project, a notice on the ministry’s website informs. The works include the preparation of a methodology for assessing the compensation for establishing easement on land representing a sea beach, as well as assessing the right to build on the seabed. The tender is worth nearly BGN66,000 (€33,745), Dnevnik daily reported. The bidding deadline is April 9.

We remind that on March 2, Bulgaria’s ambassador to Russia, Boyko Kotsev, said that Bulgarian companies continue to work on orders related to South Stream. The diplomat commented that these companies have contractual obligations, which have not been cancelled officially despite statements made by public persons in Russia.

The 63bn cubic metre South Stream pipeline was designed to transport gas to Europe from Russia under the Black Sea, bypassing Ukraine. It was planned to go across Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary, ending in Austria. In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the project would be scrapped in favour of a new pipeline from Russia to Turkey amid rising tensions between Moscow and the EU. The news was a heavy blow for Bulgaria, which currently imports almost all its natural gas from Russia via Ukraine.