From Upstream, October 17:
Decision has drawn fire from Hungary, which faces higher cost of gas
Bulgaria has become the first European Union nation to impose a transit duty on Russian natural gas and has agreed to a plan to phase out its remaining Russian crude oil imports in response to the country's war in Ukraine.
Amendments to existing laws covering energy supply issues have been signed by Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, including one that imposes an immediate duty of 20 lev ($10.75) per megawatt hour for domestic imports or transit of Russian natural gas in the country, equal to about $113 per thousand cubic metres of gas.Another amendment establishes a strict timetable for Russian oil producer Lukoil to reduce and eventually halt shipments of Russian oil to Bulgaria.
Bulgaria currently imports no Russian gas for its domestic consumption despite having access to a legacy pipeline running across Ukraine and another that connects to the TurkStream pipeline crossing the Black Sea to Turkey.
Russia's Gazprom halted direct gas exports to Bulgaria last year after the country refused to pay for volumes in rubles.
However, Bulgaria has remained a major transit hub, accommodating Russian gas deliveries to Serbia and Hungary, and gas supplies from other sources such as Azerbaijan and Turkey to Romania, Moldova and Ukraine....
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